First Time for Everything
by primavera15
Summary: Summary inside. Rated M for language and smut in later chapters. AU
1. Yeah, that's not gonna happen

First Time for Everything

Chapter 1

Note: The summary is still the same as last time, guys but in case you forgot here it is again :) Tyler is the mayor's son, a womanizer, and a werewolf. He's rich, sexy (very), and all that good stuff hehe and Jeremy is an average (but also very sexy) teen who has to come back to his hometown in Mystic Falls until his mother gets a job back in Florida. Katherine is Jeremy's cousin and Jenna is Jeremy's aunt. Katherine is a witch.

P.S. Wish me luck that the story comes out like I wish it to this time! :)

Tyler Lockwood finished off his latest victim and rolled off her and onto the bed. The blonde girl turned to the side and pulled herself close to his body and placed her hand on his chest.

"That was beyond amazing." She purred.

"Whoa, whoa, no cuddling or shit, okay? Move over." Tyler said pushing her firmly over. The girl, being drunk as hell, did not listen and moved close again.

"Aw come on, don't be like that, baby." She protested and leaned over to kiss him but he quickly sat up and got off the bed. Tyler picked up his clothes and dressed, ignoring the girl's protests before leaving while she tried (and failed) at standing off the bed.

Tyler fucking hated when girls got all clingy and emotional after sex, like they were some newly married couple at their honeymoon. Gag. Tyler went down the stairs and used his werewolf senses to find his best friend, Matt. Tyler headed towards the kitchen and found him trying to pull himself from some drunken girl who was literally clinging onto him.

"Alright, let him go!" Tyler ordered and pulled her off and sat her down on the floor. She looked up at the two boys and randomly laughed before lying herself on the floor and probably passing out.

"Should we help her-

Tyler cut him off. "He'll be fine, man. Let's get out of here."

He didn't know if Matt heard him over the loud music but he didn't care at the moment as he headed for the exit. He wasn't even supposed to be here. This was the house of his enemy, Steven Dorlan, captain of their football team. He and Tyler have been enemies as far back as he can remember. In kindergarten, always trying to keep Tyler out of their group and games, making fun of him and telling lies to the other kids. The rumors and lies stayed as his tactic until Tyler got so sick of it that he punched Steven in the nose and broke it one day in fifth grade. Of course Tyler was in the one who got in trouble even though he had tried to explain but the principle and his parents (no shock there) had defused to listen. Things didn't get any better as they grew older.

Tyler stepped out from the kitchen and headed towards the doorway when he stopped.

"Shit my ass." Tyler mumbled.

Standing at the doorway was no other then Dorlan himself. When Steven saw him, his eyes widened with shock and then filled with anger.

"What are you doing here, Lockwood?" the brunet demanded, glaring at him.

Someone turned off the music and all eyes were on him.

"Just came by to fuck your girlfriend. Hope you don't mind if we used your bed." Tyler replied with a casual shrug. Loud "ohs" came from around the room. A hand came upon his shoulder and he glanced over to see Matt staring at Steven. When Tyler followed his gaze, Steven looked ready to kill him with his bare hands.

"It's on, Lockwood!"

"Bring it, asshole!"

"Hold it!" Matt said coming in between the two boys.

"Get out of my fucking way, Donovan, or else I'll break your face too!" Steven warned.

"I don't think your dad would appreciate taking his vacation time to pull your ass out of trouble right now, Dorlan."

Steven pressed his lip into a hard line. Steven's father was a lawyer with a badass reputation at winning every case but he was also an asshole like his son was. Steven would still be a dead man if he got in trouble, vacation time or not. Slowly Steven backed off a few steps but kept his murderous glare on the other two teens.

"Get out!"

Matt turned a warning on Tyler, daring for him to open his mouth. Tyler did not break his own glare with Steven as he walked pass him. They went out the door and headed for Matt's car. When they were a good distance away from the house, Matt turned upon Tyler, who was surprised to find him with a wide smirk upon his face.

"What?" Matt asked, annoyed.

"Nothing."

"Tell me."

"Really, it's nothing."

"Tyler!"

"Let's just go before our captain of stupid comes after us for standing in his neighborhood."

Matt couldn't help but laugh at that.

On the way towards Tyler's house, they passed by the Shadows Night Club.

"Dude, turn around." Tyler said.

"Didn't take you for the dancing type."

"Fuck the dancing, I mean the bar."

"No. Your dad would not trust me anymore if you came home drunk which I'm sure you must be already anyway."

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Alright, Mr. Goody two-shoes, but I just had two beers."

"Call me whatever you want. We're not going there. If you're thirsty or whatever let's go to the Grill."

"For a beer?"

"For a coke."

"Goody two-shoes."

"Whatever."

They soon arrived at the Mystic Grill and saw there was only one occupied booth inside. Matt looked down at his watch.

"It's one in the morning."

"It's summer, dude, relax."

Tyler took the first booth and Matt sat across.

"Don't you have a curfew?"

"It's summer."

"But you're not eighteen yet."

"It's summer."

"…what the hell does that have to do with your age?"

"It's calling joking around, man. Ever heard of it?"

A waitress came by to take their orders. It was Jessica, one of the cheerleaders from school.

"Hey, boys! What brings you in so late?" she asked, giving Tyler a flirty smile.

Tyler gave him his million dollar smile. "Enjoying summer."

"Nice…you look good tonight. You guys are always working out, huh?"

Suddenly the wolf inside Tyler began to growl loudly in his head, demanding for food, making the teen flinch.

"You okay?" Jessica asked. Matt stared at him too.

"Fine. I'll have a double chest burger with bacon and a chocolate milkshake."

Jessica's eyes widened but she wrote it down. It was a lot of food but Tyler would burn it off in no more than three hours without even having to do exercise.

"I'll have the turkey ham BLT with pickles and a coke." Matt said.

"Okay." She paused and looked over at Tyler. When she saw he wasn't looking at her anymore, she just told them she would be back before walking away.

Matt turned to Tyler with a frown. When the dark haired teen kept staring at the table with a blank expression, he called out his friend's name. Tyler looked up at him, surprised like if he didn't know he had been there.

"You okay?"

Tyler rubbed his hand over his face. "Yeah. I guess I'm just tired."

Matt was not convinced but didn't press him. They sat in silence until their orders came. Jessica was about to say something to Tyler when someone from the bar called out for her so she left.

"If this keeps up, the night club down the block will push this place out of business." Matt said.

"I don't think so."

"Why?"

"The Grill sells food and drinks, dude. The club sells mostly drinks."

"Never been in there before so I had no idea. When did you go?"

"Remember when I told you that I asked Carmen out? I took her there to dance."

Matt chuckled. "I still don't see you dancing."

"Fuck off, I bet I can dance better than you!"

They ate the rest of their meal in silence and then something occurred to Matt.

"So what do you think your future will be like?"

"After high school?"

"Yeah and when you meet "the one"."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen."

"Why not?"

Tyler took the last sip of his shake and replied, "I know I will marry a chick one day and shit but live happily ever after like they show in those movies? I have a better chance of Steven becoming my friend."

"It's true that not every relation lasts forever-at least it's very hard-but that doesn't mean you won't be happy with that person when you guys are together. I know you're not the most serious guy in our school when it comes to relationships but people change."

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "So who are you now? Montezuma?"

"That's Nostradamus, and I'm just trying to make a conversation not predicting your future."

"Well, like I said, I don't see my happily ever after. That bullshit does not exist. Change of topic! Do you support my thesis when I say that Steven will die by HIV?"

Tyler suddenly leaned over to hit Matt hard on the arm.

"What the hell, man!"

"That's for indirectly calling me a man whore."

Matt stopped the car in front of the Lockwood mansion.

"Thanks for paying. I'll do it next time."

"Don't mention it."

Tyler got out of the car. "Night."

"Night."

Tyler closed the door and began to walk away when he stopped and turned back, leaning down to look at Matt through the window. "By the way, I did fuck Dorlan's girlfriend."

Tyler tapped the roof with his hand and walked away.

Note: Don't forget to review! Thankies!


	2. Truly Alone

First Time for Everything

Chapter 2

Note: Thank you all for reading and reviewing! XOXO Enjoy!

PS. There was a review from one of my anonymous readers that one part of it said that he/she felt that my story should have its own tv show! Wow wouldn't that be something? :D Thank you so much reader for that! I'm glad you liked it that much! And thank you to all my anonymous readers in general! Love and hugs for all your guys too!

Jeremy Gilbert stared silently at the front of his house while his mother got the keys inside. He would miss it here. His friends, his mother, and all the memories he had made here for practically all his life.

"Got them. You ready?"

Jeremy turned to his mom and nodded, giving her a weak smile.

Sarah, his mom, sighed and hugged him. "I'm so sorry that you have to leave. I don't really want you to, you know that. But I can't let you stay here right now, not while-

"I know, I know. I don't mind but it's still depressing."

Jeremy's father, Rene, had left Sara with Jeremy when he was only three years old. Ever since then, Sara had a hard time keeping simple jobs and paying for bills and getting groceries. After long thought over, Sara had called her sister, Jenna Gilbert, and asked her for the giant favor in keeping her son in her care until she had a good enough job to care for him herself again. Jenna had instantly agreed with this and told her to send Jeremy whenever when ready. After Jeremy had finished sophomore finals, Jenna paid half of the teen's ticket to fly over to Mystic Falls, Virginia, Jeremy's hometown. He couldn't really call it his hometown though. Even though he was born there, his parents took him away when his mother had recuperated months later.

They hour ride to the airport was silent for the first half of it.

"Who am I staying with, again?" Jeremy asked.

"Your aunt Jenna and your cousin Katherine. You met them once but when you were days old."

"Is her daughter my age?"

"Your aunt never had good luck with love so one day she just gave up on it. Katherine is my other sister's daughter but anyway, no, she turned eighteen a few months ago. I believe she's a senior this year at the school you're going to."

Jeremy groaned loudly in his mind. Worse thing about moving: it usually involved a new school. Even if it was only a temporary move.

"Is it really necessary? How do you know it's going to take more than the summer to get a job?"

"Honey, we've talked about this before. I also want you to meet other family and meet new people, new places!"

Jeremy stared at his mother, unconvinced. He turned away and continued to look out the window.

"You have everything with you?"

Jeremy sighed. "Yes, I checked fifty times before we left."

"Okay, I'm sorry just want to make sure. Now, remember be nice to your aunt and cousin, make friends, and think of this as a way to get away from your overly protective mother."

Jeremy rolled his eyes, smirking. "I'll try."

Sara then kissed her son on the forehead and hugged him one more time, her eyes watering. "I'll miss you."

"Me too, mom. Love you."

"Love you more."

Jeremy adjusted the bag strap on his shoulder and headed for the entrance to the airport, pulling his large suitcase behind him. He glanced back and saw his mother send him a kiss. He smiled and waved at her. He turned back around and sighed. He took the piece of paper from his pocket and searched for his line. When he did, he swore under his breath. A long line waited before him, impatience and tried. Jeremy knew this was going to be a long day.

Tyler warmed up his muscles before heading out of the house to run. The sun was still behind the trees when he got to the edge of the woods. He paused to take in a deep breath and close his eyes before sprinting off into the woods for his morning exercise. Tyler had to admit to himself that he loved the feeling of using his supernatural wolf side of himself; the speed, the better senses, the ability to tell when people lied. It was beyond amazing. Other things…not as much. When the full moon came around, it was hell on earth. There was pain that could not be described in words. The chains that he hoped would hold him down kept being snapped off by his wolf but, thankfully, not able to get out of the old property. It would probably end up killing someone if it did. Tyler has gone to many werewolf sites to learn about what kind of things involve the curse but he didn't know what were facts and what was bullshit. Painful memories swam into Tyler's mind. The memory of how he became a werewolf was too clear in his brain and burned him like a flame, tightening his stomach with guilt and fury.

It was a weekend like any other in sophomore year. Tyler had needed money to pay for his weed from the druggies. He had needed the weed for the party for his "friends" who peer pressured him into getting it. Plus, it felt amazing to get stoned. You forgot about your problems and had a better time. So where did I get the money? My father's wallet. He had sneaked into parent's bedroom while his father was in the shower and had gotten out one hundred dollars from his wallet before heading out. Tyler paid for the drug and got stoned that night with his friends. Tyler came home later that night, his mother and father yelling at each other in the kitchen.

"It had to be him! Who else would take the money if it wasn't you?" Richard yelled.

"If he did, I'm sure he had a good reason for it!"

When the door closed they fell silent then Richard had walked over to him.

"What did you do with it, boy?" he demanded.

"What?" Tyler asked as clueless as he could.

"You fucking know well what! You better tell me or else I'll-

Tyler's mother had placed a hand on her husband's arm and told him she would take care of it while he went to bed. He hesitated to leave. He glared at her and at Tyler for a long moment before heading up the stairs, murmuring curses the entire time.

Caroline Lockwood pressed the sides of her hands against her lips. When the door closed upstairs, she closed her eyes and took her hands away from her mouth.

She whispered, "Please tell me it wasn't you."

"It wasn't."

She shook her head and opened her eyes, looking scared for him. "Your father is so mad, Tyler. Why did you take it?"

"I told you, it wasn't me." Tyler mumbled, heading past her towards the kitchen for a glass of water. She followed behind him.

"At least tell me what the money was for."

"Stuff."

She didn't say anything. Tyler filled his glass with water and took it all town in two swallows. He turned towards her mother. She looked even more frightened but also very sad.

"Drugs?" she managed to choke out.

"I'm going to bed."

She blocked the doorway. "I won't tell your father. Just let me help you."

"Don't need it. Get out of the way."

"Please, Tyler! I love you! I know your father is strict sometimes but he loves you too and-

"I don't want to hear it! Fine, you want to know what I used the money for? You're right, it was for drugs! I like getting stoned! It helps me forget about you and that man that doesn't deserve to be called a father! He's a selfish alcoholic who only cares about money rather than his own son just like you!"

He pushed past her, heading for the stairs.

And it happened.

He heard desperate gasping and sharp cries of pain. He jerked around to see his mother on her knees on the floor, clutching her chest with one hand while she held onto the doorway with the other.

"Mom!"

Tyler barely catching her body on time before she fell onto the tile.

He laid her on the floor, quickly reaching the kitchen's phone to call an ambulance.

Tyler remembered he was stammering the whole time, close to sobbing for the first time in a long time. He knew she had a strong risk of dying and it would be all his fault.

Father and Tyler went in a separate car behind the ambulance. They had waited hours before the doctor had come to tell them she had a heart attack and died for almost a minute before they had brought her back.

Tyler was scared as fuck. He was sure his mother would tell her father that it was their son's fault that she had gotten a heart attack. His father would probably call the cops and falsely accuse him of something so he could go to jail.

But she didn't.

She had told everyone that she was just feeling stressed with everything and it must have pushed her over the limit that night. His father got suspicious and didn't really buy the story. He was sure I had something to do with what happened that night. Even so, ever since then, Tyler and his mother had not been able to really look in the eye for the past two years now.

The memory was too strong for Tyler. He had to stop running and hold onto the tree while he gasped for breath and shake it all away. He had thrown away the love of the only person who had cared for him. He had to and still has to learn all about this wolf stuff on his own without even anyone to talk about this to. He was alone.

Truly alone.

Note: Don't forget to review!


	3. Crazy Shit

First Time for Everything

Chapter 3

Note: Thank you all! Always ready for new happy heart attacks every day! I'll try to update at least one every day! Thank you to anonymous reviewer "Jyler" (great name!) for suggesting two but I want to see how you guys think of the chapters as each one comes along :) thank you for liking my writing! I try my best!

Jeremy was going to die if he had to stay another hour in this place. The flight had been postponed for stupid reasons and now everyone had to wait for their now late flight. Yay.

Jeremy's cell vibrated and he pulled it out to check who it was. It was his best friend, Kyle.

**You on board? **

_No. People are stupid. Have to wait an hour. _

**Sorry for your crappy day dude. Having one myself so I feel your pain.**

_Yeah, I'll miss you too. Hopefully the people at my new school aren't morons. _

**Well…wasn't talking about that but I will miss you too. I was referring to babysitting my little brother who was driving me crazy. Thank god he's asleep upstairs at the moment!**

_I would rather babysit your brother than wait for a flight I don't even want to go on. _

**Did you tell your mom that?**

_No. I know what this flight is for. I don't mind helping my mom in anyway. _

**Even prostitution? ;P**

_Oh yeah, that was my mom's first option but I refused because your mom wouldn't let you join me. _

**Funny. DUDE GUESS WHAT I'M LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW?**

_I don't wanna know what kind of porn you're looking at. _

**Not porn! Mmmm…not at the moment at least ;D I am looking at your town!**

_What are you talking about? _

**Looking up information about it! I'm bored but dude you won't even guess what kind of crazy shit it says about it! **

_It has a large population of prostitutes? _

**No but it probably does lololololol! **

Jeremy rolled his eyes at his friend's craziness. Kyle will never change.

_Idiot. Just tell me what they say about it. _

**It says that Mystic Falls was originally known for werewolves and other supernatural beings back before it was ever even built. **

_Makes you wonder what the person smoked, huh?_

**Yeah it's probably bullshit but at least you're getting entertained a little right?**

…_maybe...but I still don't believe it. _

**Thought you loved that supernatural stuff. Come on, you draw them all the time. Bet you were sketching before I even texted you! **

Jeremy smirked. He had been sketching creatures before Kyle texted him. Though the teen didn't plan to give his friend the satisfaction.

_Wrong, I was sleeping so fuck you lol and just because I draw them, doesn't mean I truly believe they exist or something. But just in case they do, I'll send a vampire your way so you can live forever. _

**Ok, whatever. But don't forget!**

_Insert sarcasm: I'll try not to. _

**Jackass. **

_Pervert. _

**Nerd. **

_Thank you. Better than being a pervert._

**;D Least it gets the girls. **

_And STDs._

**Fuck you!**

_:)_

**Have to go my brother is coming downstairs. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Luck!**

_Bye. And thanks I'll need it. _

Tyler arrived back home from his run. When he closed the door behind him his mother called from upstairs.

"Yeah?" he asked, wiping his face with a towel.

"Your uncle Mason is coming to stay with us for a few weeks! So shower and get ready to meet him soon! He should be here within an hour!"

Tyler remembered his uncle Mason. He was his father's younger brother. He was a better person than his father was and he was surprised that his father even had a brother who wanted to come to see them. From what I've heard, he traveled around with retirement money from the army.

"Okay!" he called back and headed up the stairs to dump the towel into the washing machine before going to shower. While dressing after, he heard the doorbell ring and Tyler guessed it was his uncle.

The door opened and he heard a male voice greet his father. Five points for him.

"You don't look a year older." Richard commented with slight envy in his voice.

"I eat a lot of vegetables and do exercise."

His mother was then heard greeting Mason. Tyler finished dressing and went downstairs.

Mason looked at him and smirked. "Tyler."

"Uncle Mason." Tyler replied, nodding and giving him a hand to shake.

At this, Mason raised an eyebrow down at his hand before taking it.

"Tyler, no need to be so-

Mason cut Caroline off with a shrug. "It's fine. He hasn't seen me since he was seven so it might be weird for him."

It wasn't. Tyler just wasn't the person to get all nice and fuzzy with anyone.

Mason glanced back at Tyler. "You've grown into a man, I see. Didn't expect less."

"Times flies while you're having fun."

Tyler didn't say this in a humorous way but Mason laughed. His father glared at him for his sour attitude. His mother was just looking down at the floor with a small, weak, smile. Guilt tightened in Tyler's stomach again. Ever since the heart attack, most of her energy had been taken away. Her body looking so skinny and fragile, he thought she might fly away with the wind.

Then Tyler picked up a weird smell. He turned his attention back to Mason and saw it was coming from him. A sort of weird…almost animal-like smell that he's never encountered with anyone so far.

Mason looked at him with something that looked an awful like understanding and realization but didn't say anything. He and Tyler talked a little longer before Richard took his brother away towards his office. Tyler was left with his mother in the middle of the hall. Suddenly the strong feeling of déjà vu came upon him. His mother must have seen something on his face because she came over and placed a hand softly upon his shoulder. She just stared at him with a calm expression and the same small smile before heading upstairs without a word.

Tyler let out a long frustrated sigh and decided he needed to get out of there so he called Matt.

"Where are you?"

"At home."

"Mind if I come over?"

"Sure. Something wrong?"

"No. I'll be there in a couple."

Jenna Gilbert and Katherine Petrova Peirce were waiting at the airport for Jeremy to arrive through the gate.

"So how is he like? He's not into football, is he?" Katherine asked.

Jenna laughed. "No. From what your aunt has told me, he's a nice, smart and polite kid. He's also very into art."

Katherine nodded, satisfied that he at least wasn't into football or any sports for that matter. So far, everyone she had met that was into sports, were stuck up assholes. Katherine checked her D&G watch for the time. It was almost noon.

A female receptionist announced over their heads that flight 204 had arrived.

"Finally!" Katherine said, rolling her eyes.

Jenna gave her a look.

Jeremy walked through the gate, looking around for his aunt and cousin. He had gotten a picture of them from his mother to recognize just in case but before he took two steps further, a woman no older than twenty five with shoulder length blonde hair, was shouting over at him, waving her hands in the air and rushing over to him.

"Hi-ompf!"

His aunt had pulled into a tight hug and smiled at him happily.

"It's so nice to finally see you again, Jeremy. My god look how big you are!"

Jeremy smiled at her, embarrassed. Jeremy glanced at a girl who came next to Jenna. She had long brown hair with waves in them. Dark brown eyes that looked almost black stared at him, sizing him up.

"Hi." He greeted awkwardly.

"Good evening, cousin. So glad you're not a football jock."

Jenna shot a glare at her. Jeremy laughed in spite of himself.

"I'm glad I'm not either."

"Good to know we're going to get along."

After getting Jeremy's bag, they left the airport and headed to Mystic Falls.

During the ride home, Katherine turned around in her seat to look at Jeremy.

"Can I see your palm?"

"Oh, god, Katherine! Don't!"

Katherine ignored her aunt and took Jeremy's hand into hers, holding the palm up so she was now staring down at it. She inspected it closely.

"What are you doing?" Jeremy asked, curious.

"Your cousin thinks she's psychic." Jenna said, sighing.

"I know I am! Now let me concentrate, will you?" Katherine snapped.

She carefully ran her index finger over the lines of Jeremy's palm before putting a hand over it and closing her eyes. Seconds of silence ticked by and Katherine didn't so much as twitch. Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she let his hand go like if it had burned her. She stared, eyes wide at her cousin.

"Oh my god." She whispered, in disbelief.

"What?" Jeremy asked, a little afraid.

She turned back around quickly in her seat. "Nothing. I was just joking around."

Katherine's tone was now serious. Jeremy didn't believe in that psychic stuff either but he had seen her cousin's eyes and they held no evidence that she had been joking at all. If she had truly seen something it was something bad.

Great. Jeremy hadn't even been in Virginia an hour and he already had more stuff to worry about already.

Note: Don't forget to review! Thankies :D And yes I did use a similar thing to what happened at the beginning of the first book in VD hehe!

PS. My account isn't working to its full potential right now. It's not letting me see any of my inbox messages so if you guys send something, I'll try my best to reply as soon as possible.


	4. Arrival

First Time for Everything

Chapter 4

Note: Thank you all for reading and reviewing! XOXO Hope you guys are having a great summer :D

Katherine ignored the frown her aunt was giving her. She was too busy trying to get her mind to process the image she had seen correctly. Ever since her grandmother had been telling her she was a witch, she would read people's palms to prove to herself and to her grandmother it was not true…but then the things she saw began to come true. She would tell herself they were coincidences but some of the things were too great.

"But what I saw with Jeremy…" she thought.

Tyler Lockwood, football jock and number one sex addict of the school, was kissing Jeremy. And the background looked an awful lot like the room Jeremy would be having during his stay.

"Katherine, are you listening to me?" Jenna demanded.

Katherine glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"No more of that psychic reading stuff! If I see you one more time, I'm calling your parents!"

Katherine almost flinched. She knew what that meant. Her parents would cut off her credit card usage. She would not survive without them.

"Fine, I won't." She mumbled, looking out the window. But being Katherine, she could not resist the temptation to oppose order.

Tyler drove towards the convenience store to get himself a six pack of beer. He knew the employees there so they let him pay and leave without stupid questions about his age. While leaving the store, he came to face with Vicky Donovan, Matt's younger sister. As soon as she saw him, her eyes lit up with lust.

"Hello." She said, smirking and looking at him like a delicious treat.

Tyler smiled back at her but kept his distance. He had a heart, believe it or not, and he didn't want to mess around with his best friend's sister. "What's up?"

"Just getting some things. Where you going with that?"

"Bribing your brother to join the dark side."

"Good luck with that." She paused and reached out to let her fingers play with the bottom of his shirt. "Hey, how about you and I can go someplace? Maybe have a party for two?"

"Hey, Ty, your gorgeous thing!"

Chelsea, Steven's girlfriend, came up and bumped Vicky firmly out of Tyler's reach.

This girl, Tyler knew, on the other hand was not part of Matt's family. Tyler was gonna make his day. He smiled at her. "Good timing, I was just thinking about you."

Tyler winced silently at how lame it sounded but Chelsea seemed to have bought it or she didn't care what he said as long as they ended up twisted in the sheets back at her house. Chelsea gave a triumphed smile and looked in Vicky's direction.

"Want to go back to my place?"

"Fuck you, fake blonde whore! I saw him first!" Vicky hissed, ready to tear the girl's head off.

"Sorry Vicky, I had called her earlier. Good seeing you though." Tyler lied smoothly. He then motioned for Chelsea to follow him back to his car with one finger. The blonde followed him like an obedient little puppy. Vicky's hurt twisted into her stomach but she refused to let any weakness show on her face. She swore under her breath and pushed the store door open. She just couldn't help it. She was a sucker for bad boys.

"Home sweet home!" Jenna called, smiling as they pulled up into the driveway.

"Totally." Katherine mumbled sarcastically.

Jeremy was able to get a better look when he got out of the car. He looked at the house and the surroundings. It looked…naturish? It still wasn't as bad as he thought but he was scared for the people at his school.

"Lots and lots of trees." Jeremy heard Katherine say as Jenna gave her keys and walked towards the house.

"Ignore her. She's in one of her moods." Jenna said, sighing.

"It's okay. She has her reasons."

There was a short pause of silence.

"So what do you think so far?"

Jeremy chose his words carefully. "Very green and open."

She thought about his answer and nodded. "I'll take that. It's okay if you don't like it one hundred percent but…its home."

"I know, I don't mean to offend you."

She waved it off. "It's fine, don't worry, Jere."

Jeremy couldn't help but smile at his nickname his mother used sometimes.

"Is the trunk open?"

"Oh yes, need help brining it down?"

"I can take it, thanks."

Inside the house, Jenna asked Katherine to show Jeremy to his room while she prepared dinner. The two teens went up the stairs and down a small hallway to stop a certain door. Katherine opened it and motioned for Jeremy to step inside.

"Here it is. Mine is next door. You have our own bathroom is on the other side and Jenna's room is after that."

"Thanks."

She nodded and clapped her hands together. "So I'll be in my room. Any questions or something before I leave?"

Jeremy hesitated. He still wanted to know what she had seen in the car. Katherine seemed to read his mind and looked away.

"Knock if you need me." she said quickly before leaving. Jeremy heard the door open and close next door. He heard his aunt frying something downstairs. He placed his luggage next to his bed and closed the door behind him. He looked around his room; plain dark colored wood walls and floors with a large window on one wall, a full sized bed on the other and a black colored desk with a small lamp and red cup filled with pencil and pens. He felt like he was living in a cabin. He sighed, suddenly feeling tired from his trip. He would take a nap after dinner.

Jeremy took the time to take out his clothes and things from his bag and luggage. He finished pretty quickly and plugged in his Ipod to charge on his desk. He texted his mom that he had arrived home safely with Aunt Jenna and Katherine in Mystic Falls. Jenna then called to come downstairs for dinner and left his cell on his bed before making his way down the stairs, his cousin following behind.

The dinner was quiet for the last half after Jenna gave up in trying to make conversation. Jeremy would always find his cousin staring at him but would look away when he glanced at her. That's when he decided that he had to know what she had seen. If his life was at risk, he had a right to know what was going to happen.

Chelsea fell asleep while Tyler stared up at the ceiling, feeling too lazy to get up. Tyler's phone began to ring on the floor. He had forgotten about Matt. Tyler got up and looked at his phone when it stopped ringing. He had ten missed text messages from Matt. He sent him a text messaging saying he was sorry to be late and that his father wanted to talk to him but he'd be there. Tyler placed his phone on the bed and gathered his clothes to dress, ignoring the déjà vu feeling. When he was done, a ring tone he didn't recognize sounded from somewhere. Chelsea groaned softly from the bed and mumbled for him to answer it. Tyler smirked over to the empty bottle of beer on the corner of the room before going over to Chelsea's shorts to pull out her cell. The screen announced a missed call from one of her friends. He pressed the "end button" and was about to put it on the bed when an idea popped into his mind.

Tyler looked through the girl's contacts and found Steven.

**I want 2 break up :( I been thinking bout it since the 1****st**** time and…no offense but when you get the condom on it looks like the thumb of a latex glove. I mean I have not laughed that hard seen I've seen your balls. By the way, I faked every orgasm. The only time you can give a girl a real one is when you pull out your credit card. Again, no offense. Bye. Xoxo**

Tyler then read it over for confirmation and made sure it sounded like Chelsea's writing before sending it. The teen then placed the phone on the nightstand, picked up his own, and left.

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	5. Nightmare?

First Time for Everything

Chapter 5

Note: Some of the reviews comment on how Tyler is being an asshole lol. Now I don't know if you guys are liking it or not but it's all part of the plot. That's the whole reason I re-started this new version. On the first one, I didn't think Tyler was the big womanizer/bad boy kind of character. Sooo…sorry if one of you guys don't like how he's acting but it is part of the plot. But thank you for reading and giving your thoughts!

Jeremy thanked Jenna for the meal before excusing himself to his room. Katherine stood up to leave but Jenna stopped her.

"I need to talk to you about something."

Katherine rolled her eyes but nodded. After Jeremy left awkwardly, she waited for her aunt to start talking.

"Why can't you be more welcoming with your cousin? A lot more friendly? I know you don't know him very much but that doesn't mean you should practically ignore him."

"I'm not."

Katherine knew she was giving her cousin a cold shoulder. Why? She didn't have a good answer. Was it because of what she saw? She didn't hate gay people. Anyway, Jeremy didn't seem gay to her. Quiet and awkward but that was probably because he didn't know them very well either.

"Great, here comes the guilt." She thought, annoyed.

"Fine, deny it but you better stop acting that way or else…"

The same blackmail was announced. Calling her parents. Double great.

"Okay, whatever, I'm sorry. Can I go now?"

Jenna shook her head in sadness and waved her off. When Katherine got to her door she stopped and glanced over at Jeremy's. The same guilt came bubbling into her body. Fine, what could it hurt?

Jeremy was almost asleep when he heard a knock at his door. He frowned and turned to look at the door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Me."

It was Katherine.

His sat up and told her to come in.

"Sorry if I interrupted anything."

"You didn't. So what's up?"

That's when he noticed she was holding a book in her hand.

"Wanted to inform you what to expect this year." She explained.

He motioned for her to sit down on his bed and she did, closing the door for privacy. "Do you mind?"

He shook his head.

Katherine sat a small distance away to show him inside the yearbook.

"Alright this is my junior yearbook and I want to show you some people that you should avoid and some people that is okay to talk to."

He nodded. "Okay."

Katherine flipped through the pages until she got to a certain one. She flipped the book his way and tapped a nail on a student's picture. A male with short brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a football style jacket.

"This is Steven Dorlan. The second biggest asshole in the school-well…he's sharing the first spot with another guy named Tyler Lockwood. I'll show you who he is a moment. Anyway, Steven was the captain of the football team. I'm sure he's going to be a captain this year too. But you should defiantly avoid him at all costs but since you're new to town, he'll probably talk to you on your first day of school or if he sees you one day if we are out in public. If he does, I have your back. Sorry if I'm talking too much."

Jeremy couldn't help but laugh. "You're fine."

She smirked. "Okay, now let me show you Tyler."

She flipped the pages and tapped the picture of him. Jeremy's eyes widened. Damn…

Jeremy knew he was gay. He's known since he was thirteen when he was old enough to start noticing people. Though the only person that knows is him…unless his mother decided not to talk about it. Now here is was, practically drooling over a boy's school picture. When his sensed reminded him that he had company, he jerked his gaze to his cousin who was staring at him with surprise and curiosity.

"You're gay."

It was not a question. Fuck. Jeremy quickly looked away and felt his hands clench in embarrassment, trying hard not to blush. "No! I was just-

"Hey, don't have a heart attack on me, okay? Jenna would kill me. I'm not going to judge. If you're gay, your secret is safe with me."

Jeremy looked back at her in shock. "You're not going to…?"

Katherine shook her head, smirking. "It's not for me to tell. But you have a good eye because Tyler is very fine but he's not my type so don't worry. Although, I have some bad news; remember a moment ago when I told you that he shared the first place with Steven as the biggest asshole in the school? Yeah, well he is and a very big womanizer too. He's a big football player too. Defense."

"Football?"

She gave him an apologetic shrug. "Sorry if I destroyed your dream wedding or something."

Jeremy had implied to his cousin he hated football jocks too and he wasn't lying either. Most of his bullies when he started high school played football. He had come to hate them so much for his everyday suffering.

"You didn't destroy anything." He mumbled, trying not to look at Tyler's picture.

"Want to know something shocking?"

Jeremy looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

She flipped through the pages again and pointed to a blonde who was (not shocking anymore) another jock.

"This is Matt Donovan. He's a defense too but he's actually the nicest guy you'll ever meet in your life. He's also Tyler's best friend which I don't get because they are opposite in personalities."

Jeremy smiled. "Matt probably understands something other people don't."

Katherine stared at her cousin in thought. "Maybe."

There was a pause of silence before Katherine decided to show him another thing.

She went back a few pages and showed him (defiantly not shocking anymore) another jock.

"Stefan Salvatore. Quarterback and…" Katherine paused and let a small smile form on the corners of her mouth. "my crush since the first time I saw him last year on the first day of junior year."

"Did you come to town last year or did he?"

"Me. I wasn't raised here either, cousin. I'm a California girl so I feel your pain about having to stay here but I rather be here than with my parents. They are pain in the asses for almost everything."

"I'm sorry."

Katherine chuckled. "That's life."

"So do you love this guy or is it just a crush?"

Katherine stared at the wall behind Jeremy in thought, losing herself in a memory.

"Not sure but…one thing for sure, I wouldn't mind talking to him."

"Have you ever?"

Katherine looked almost embarrassed. "No."

"Why not?"

"If he was interested in me, he would have come up to say something by now!"

"Don't wait for him to come up to you."

She glared. "It's complicated, okay? I have a reputation at school and…"

Jeremy understood she didn't want to talk about it. "Alright, so anything else I should know?"

"Not really. So if you really want to talk to someone, it's either Matt or the geeks. You could talk to Stefan too but remember that's he's mine even though we'll probably never speak, got it?"

Jeremy placed his hands up defensively. "Fine by me."

"Ok so if you want I can go with you tomorrow to school to get your shit done. Wouldn't want you to be placed in classes you don't even want."

"Sounds like something from experience." Jeremy teased.

"I paid for my sins last year, thank you. I'll leave you to your business. See ya."

"Hey, Katherine?"

She turned from the door.

"Thanks."

She smirked at him and left.

Tyler leaned against the door, practically using it an anchor to stop from falling. He took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up, inhaling the sweet smoke into his lugs for a moment before blowing it out.

The door opened before Tyler could even knock.

"Where were you?" Matt asked.

"Traffic was horrible. How are the kids?"

"Haha." Matt mumbled, letting him inside. "Really, where did you go?"

"Around."

Tyler sat down on Matt's couch and reached over to get the remote.

"Dude, you stink of beer. You shouldn't drink if you're going to drive."

"Sorry, mom."

Matt shook his head in disbelief. "I'm serious. If you don't get caught, you could crash."

"Into a squirrel?"

"Tyler!" Matt yelled, surprising them both. "Could you shut the fuck up and stop being a smart ass for once?"

"Jesus, man who tied your panties up into a knot?"

"As your best friend and the only actual friend you have, I plead for you to be quiet and listen to me. Please."

Tyler must have seen something on the blonde's face and he nodded.

"Turn off the T.V., please."

Tyler rolled his eyes but did and waited.

"I've known you since I can remember, man. It's fine if you want to have your fun and shit but there's a limit. You're going to get in trouble or get killed."

Tyler stayed silent.

"And you act like a douchebag almost all the time know. It gets worse every year. You weren't like this, not even in sophomore year."

Tyler inhaled his last puff and blew it out.

"I know I do stupid shit, Matt. I'm not stupid."

"No you're not. You're a straight A student but-

"But nothing. As long as I keep my grades I can do whatever I want. Last time I checked, you weren't my mother."

Matt glared. "But I'm your friend. A person who cares about you ass enough that it he doesn't want to see it get thrown in jail."

Silence.

Matt rubs his hands over his tried face. Tyler keeps staring down at his finished piece of cigarette.

"You're lucky."

Tyler's eyes widened and looks over at his friend. "What?"

"Your parents are together and actually take care of you. You don't have to worry about getting a job to pay your pills at 18. Life is great for you."

Tyler stared at Matt with guilt. Matt had to take care of Vicky and himself while they hadn't heard from their father in years and their mother was busy chasing some guy miles away from Mystic Falls. She didn't even send them money or call to check up on them. Tyler wasn't the comforting, fluffy teen but he felt more towards Matt than he did to anybody else. He reached over and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

He meant it.

Matt smiled. "Thanks, man. Hopefully one day things will get better."

Tyler hoped so too. Matt was a great guy and deserved a lot more than people like Steven did.

Time passed and problems were forgotten for the night.

"Remember yesterday at the Grill when I told you about meeting "the one"?" Matt asked.

"Spare me the headache." Tyler replied, sighing.

Matt laughed. "It's about me this time."

"What did you meet "your one" this morning?"

"No. I was out in town, looking if anybody was hiring, and the thought came up. I wouldn't mind meeting her one day."

"Well, good for you! Good for you!" Tyler commented, mocking happiness.

"Laugh all you want but if fate comes to you first, I'll be getting the last one."

"I could say the same thing."

"Ass."

"Helpless romantic."

Matt hit Tyler hard on the shoulder.

"Love you too, man but save it for your perfect lady." Tyler teased, laughing.

"Fuck you!"

Katherine was having a nightmare. At least, she hoped she was. Different events flew in and out and her mind, most too fast to even see what there were. Suddenly one came to a stop. It was night time, somewhere in the woods. A cloudless sky was in the sky, nothing keeping the rays of the moon from shining brought upon the ground. Katherine stared at the figure on the ground, bending over upon it. She couldn't hear anything around her as she stared walking over towards the figure. Something about it looked familiar but she couldn't be sure. She stopped right in front of the figure. The person was holding his or her trembling hands out in front of them. They were covered in blood.

"Hello?" she asked. Her voice seemed too quiet even for her own ears.

Slowly, very slowly, the figure began to lift its head.

Shocked and in fear, she began to back away, his eyes never leaving hers. She realized he had been crying, his eyes puffy and cheeks stained with tears. He opened but his mouth and mouthed one word. Suddenly a strong hand covered her mouth and another wrapped around her waist.

"Mine." A deep voice growled in her ear and felt sharp nails tear into her throat.

She woke up, biting her lip quickly to stifle a scream. A drop of blood trickled down her lip and onto the sheets below.

She quickly got out of bed and went next door to the bathroom. She stopped biting her lip and took in slow deep breaths to calm herself. She got a piece of toilet paper and wiped the blood away from her lip and chin. In her reflection, she saw dark circled under her eyes, her eyes wide and alert, body shaking. She sat down on the title, the cool surface feeling somewhat soothing on her skin.

"Get a fucking grip, Peirce. Nothing but screwed up nightmare." She thought to herself. She could not convince herself in the slightest.

It had been Jeremy who looked back at her. His eyes held fear and she was sure it was for the person who had grabbed her at the end, though, the voice did not sound human. One thing she knew for sure, the word Jeremy had mouthed to her.

Matt.

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	6. What if

First Time for Everything

Chapter 6

Note: Thank you for your reviews everyone! One thing about them though, I would really love if there was a little more reviews. I see visitors and hits and all which I am so grateful for too so I would like to see more opinions . Even just a word or two, it doesn't have to be a paragraph or anything. I want to see if you guys think I'm going in the right direction and all. Thanks :)

Tyler was ready to bust someone's nut. He did not get more than two hours sleep the night before and now he had to go to football practice in the middle of his vacation. Second and best of all, he was going to spend half his day seeing his other best friend, Steven. Cheers to Coach Tanner.

"Earth to Tyler!"

Tyler jerked to see Matt ready in his uniform, helmet in hand and water bottle in the other.

"Did I fall asleep again?" Tyler asked, mumbling.

Matt nodded. "Hurry up, before you're late and why so tired?"

"I could not sleep last night. Two hours at most and I have no idea why. I felt uncomfortable all night."

Matt snorted. "I'm angry too about this happening during summer. But we saw it coming."

Tyler simply nodded. Few minutes later, he was done getting into his uniform and grabbing his stuff then headed out with Matt to the football field.

Suddenly someone pushed past him, shoving his shoulder. Tyler saw Steven glaring at him and pointing a finger at him in a death warning.

"What did you do now?" Matt demanded.

Tyler shrugged. "Nothing. You know he just hates me."

"Or he just figured out from Chelsea it was probably me who sent the message after screwing her and now wants to murder me." Tyler thought.

Coach Tanner then blew his whistle and everyone lined up in front of him.

"Good morning, ladies! I hope you all had a goodnight sleep because today and the rest of your senior year, I'm going to make you wish you were never born! No more excuses for anything! If I see any of that, I'm going to make you run laps! If I see any of that when school starts, I'll make you run laps _and _pick up garbage in the halls! How's that for summer vacation? Now let me see that you idiots haven't forgotten how to play football! Dorlan, ready your team!"

He blew the whistle for practice to begin.

"Let's move!" Steven ordered and everyone jogged over to the field and got into their positions.

Tyler couldn't keep his eyes open to defend anything. It showed. Bad. Steven went over to Tyler and shoved him.

"Wake up, useless, and defend the fucking ball! It's not nap time!"

Tyler glared at him and held back to not to punch him in the face. "Yes, captain."

"I can't hear you!"

"Yes, captain!"

Steven walked away and back to his position. "Again!"

"We have all day, ladies!" coach yelled.

Tyler looked over at Matt who gave him an encouraging nod. Tyler felt a pat on his shoulder and glanced at Stefan Salvatore who nodded to him as well. They knew he was going to need it most of all.

Jeremy waited at the door for Katherine and Jenna to go to school and get his paper work done. Jenna came down the stairs and sighed.

"I hope your cousin isn't getting sick."

"What's wrong?"

Before she could answer, Katherine came down the stairs. "Sorry for the wait, let's get going."

Jeremy did a double take when he saw his cousin. Huge dark circles were under her eyes, her body tense like if she expecting for something bad to take place. She didn't look at him when she passed through the door.

"I'm sorry." Jenna whispered to him.

"Don't be. I'll talk to her later."

The ride to the high school was very quiet but it didn't last too long until they had arrived. The parking lot was almost empty, except for the few cars who he guessed belonged to the office staff. They got out and walked inside. Jeremy looked around and noticed it didn't look different from his school back in Florida.

They came to a stop in front of the office door and went inside. An old lady looked up from the front desk and smiled.

"Good afternoon, how can I help you folks?"

"Hello, my nephew, Jeremy, moved here from Florida and was hoping to get started on his paperwork and get his classes today." Jenna explained.

"Welcome, Jeremy, do you have an I.D. with you today?"

"Yes, ma'am."

One hours later, the transcript from Florida got faxed.

"Now, about your classes…a counselor isn't here right now but they'll come back to work a few days before school starts. If you want you can write down names of electives you want to take, and your requirements will be placed in for you. She'll call you if you can't get the electives you want but you can come in and work things out with her. You'll have six classes total."

Jeremy was given a piece of paper and he wrote down a few that he had already in mind; art and Spanish.

"I don't have other electives in mind." Jeremy explained when he handed her the paper.

"That's fine. I'll give this when they come back."

He thanked her and they left the office.

"I'll show you around so you won't feel as lost on your first day." Katherine mumbled.

"Okay, thanks."

Jenna went to wait in the car while Katherine took Jeremy around the school.

"It looks difficult but you'll get it your first week."

Jeremy sighed and stopped. Katherine stopped and looked back at him.

"Spill." He said.

"About what?"

"You know what and I have the right to know! It's about me in the first place! What did you see?"

She kept her face blank and shook her head. "Not here. Let's keep moving, we're almost done."

She continued walking and Jeremy rolled his eyes and followed.

They went up to the second floor. Katherine stopped at the window.

"What do you know? It's time to feed the monkeys." She said bored.

Jeremy looked out and saw the football players down below on the field. He felt his heart pick up when he remembered Tyler. His eyes widened at this and looked away.

"Cool. What else is there?"

Katherine stared at her cousin as he walked away. She glanced back down at the players, surprised to see one of them was staring up at her. Without thinking, she gave the guy the middle finger and walked away as well. If the dream last night was true, she wasn't the only abnormal thing in town.

When the three of them got home, Katherine quickly motioned to Jeremy upstairs.

"Thank you for the ride, Aunt Jenna." Jeremy said.

"Of course."

She watched as they went upstairs.

"Teen stuff." Katherine lied before she grabbed Jeremy and pulled him into her room.

Katherine pushed him to sit on the bed while she next to him. "I still don't understand what I saw in the car yesterday but…I'm not sure how you're going to react. Anyway here goes; I saw you and Tyler Lockwood…making out."

Jeremy's mouth dropped open and turned red. He looked away to regain his composure. "You're serious?"

"Yup. I see you're taking this with more embarrassment than anything else. Do you like Tyler?"

"I don't even know him!"

She shrugged. "So? You think he's attractive. That's good enough for you."

He turned back to her and glared. "What else did you see?"

She glared right back. "I'm not your enemy here, idiot, so don't look at me that way! I'm helping myself at the same time here because I can't figure this out either!"

She realized she was yelling and listened to see if Jenna had heard. The T.V. was on downstairs but no sound of indication that she had. She focused back on the other teen.

"You seemed fine when we started talking about the people in your yearbook. You even mentioned Tyler without being upset. Then in the morning, you had trouble even looking at me, even during the tour so what the hell is going on? Did you see something else? Don't lie to me."

"Screw you, I'm not lying. That's all I saw in your palm but then…" she hesitated, recalling the dream she had. "I had a dream or something last night."

When she didn't continue, Jeremy held her hands in encouragement. She jumped and blocked any sort of image from coming into her head. She had enough of future events for the moment. He took his hands back, thinking she felt discomfort.

"Sorry but please tell me."

She stood up from the bed and walked over to her window, opening the curtains to let light in. She leaned her body against the wall while looking out into the trees.

"Someone, or something, seems to be after you, cousin. I don't know who or what it is but I know that in the dream, you didn't look happy. You had been crying, your hands covered in blood. Then I was grabbed by some scary thing and it said you were his before he hurt me." She paused and looked back at him. "You also said one word in your dream. I couldn't hear you but I figured it out later when I woke up."

She pressed her hand into a thin line for a moment. "Matt."

"Matt? Matt is after me?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "Jeremy, don't be stupid, he doesn't even know you exist…yet. But I don't think Matt will be the person we should be concerned about. He's a pacifist. The guy has never been in a fight unless he's fighting back in defense. Least, that's what I've learned."

"People change."

"Yeah, but I don't see Matt going crazy, literally, over you. He's not gay. Anyway, the voice in my dream didn't sound human."

Jeremy fell back onto the bed and ran his hands over his face. "Well, it's not like monsters exist, Katherine! It has to be a person! If someone does come after me or whatever reason, we'll settle it out!"

Katherine slowly glanced out the window again. Her grandmother had mentioned other things existed out there in our world other than witches. Creatures that do not live for good intentions like their kind do. Evil, selfish, creatures who would do anything to get what they wanted. She still had doubt about their existence but then…her powers existed didn't they? Not very trained but they were there. What if the others existed too?

After 5 painfully long hours of practice, the boys were dismissed. The others sighed in relief but Tyler's mind was somewhere else. Sometime before practice was over, his wolf had begun to growl but then it quickly turned to a long howls which had caused him to get his out away from the game. The howls began to turn into deep purrs and he had the sudden urge to run. Where? He did not fucking having a clue but the wolf sure did. It had taken almost all of his control not to give into his wolf's weird behavior but he was still ordered out of the practice the last two hours while he got kind words of encouragement from his coach which he could barely focus on.

"If I see this continuing, Lockwood, I'm kicking you off the team, understood?"

The day just kept getting better.

He nodded. "Yes, coach."

"Now, sit down and watch. Maybe you'll learn something."

His senses told him he was being watched other than by his team mates. He looked up on the second floor of the school and settled his gaze upon Katherine Peirce. She stared at him for a minute before she flashed the middle finger at him and disappearing from the window. He smirked. He's always liked that girl's "fuck you" attitude. He walked and sat down on the bleachers, trying to ignore the now desperate purrs inside him. Was it for Katherine? No way, he had been around her long enough to know the wolf had absolutely no interest in her. He almost seemed to hate being around her for some reason.

"Jesus, can't you shut up?" he mumbled aloud to his inner demon. They had never been able to communicate with one another in words since they were put together but he was hoping someday the wolf would be able to listen.

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	7. I trust you

First Time for Everything

Chapter 7

Note: Thank you guys for your compliments! I really am nervous with every upload and I just want to see how you guys are liking the events as they take place!

Ps. Wanted to point out something for those of you guys who noticed it. Jeremy is not bisexual, that was a mybad! Jeremy is gay! Not bi! I fixed his thoughts in Ch.5 so we're good again! Thanks bb1019! :)

093022: Thank you very much! You should try out writing a story sometime! When I first came upon I was a reader for a while but then I started to get motivated to see how my writing would work out. It's so fun! :D when you said you wished you could watch the story, you reminded me of me! I also want so bad for all the other jyler stories to become a movie! I'm not sure when I'm going to make them meet yet…I don't really write down my ideas first I admit but it won't be long now :) and yup glad you think the same way! I don't want tyler to give in and go straight for Jeremy when they meet either! Can't wait to start on that!

* * *

><p>Jeremy's cellphone started to ring and he knew it was his mother.<p>

"I'll be back." He said. Katherine nodded, still looking out the window.

When she heard him leave, she walked over to her closet and pulled out a dusty box from the bottom of her other purses. She placed the box on her desk chair and rumbled through it until she found the book she wanted. Her spell book.

Her grandmother had given it to her in one of her drunken hazes and she took it to make her stop talking. Now that she was on the other side of the world, she missed her and not just because of the current situation. She opened the book and flipped through the pages. Awhile later, it came up.

"Vampires." She mumbled, knowing it still sounded ridiculous to her. As she read what information held about them, she had doubts about whether what had been in her dream was a vampire.

She bit her lip when she realized. Possessive behavior and death during a full moon…

She flipped pages over and came upon the history of the lupinotuum, aka werewolf in English. There were 5 different types of werewolves; the alpha, the beta, the benandanti, the human warrior, and the spiritual werewolf. The most common form being beta which is a person contracting the disease through a scratch or bite from a werewolf during full moon. Once turned, they have little control over their transformation and are affected by the moon.

Katherine skipped until something caught her eye. Mating. Every lupinotuum would one day find his or her mate in their lifetime. Once the lupinotuum finds his or her mate, they will turn possessive, hurting or even killing anyone that so much as comes near their mate.

"Level of control depends on how long the victim has been cursed."

Katherine jumped, not expecting for her cousin to be reading over her shoulder.

"How long have you been there?" she demanded.

Jeremy shrugged, staring down at the book. "So I'm the werewolf's mate then?"

"Not sure but if you are, I'm not letting you out of my sight…except during school. You'll be safe there."

"What if the person is at school?"

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Oh god, thank you for putting that in my head! You'll still be fine. He or she won't try anything."

"Does it say how the lupintoruum know it's the mate?"

Katherine looked back down at the column and read for a moment and laughed. "Congratulations, cousin, to someone you're going to smell like the most delicious thing they will ever encounter."

Jeremy glared. "I'm happy to see you amused that a hairy, possessive psycho will think I smell nice."

She waved her hand in air, trying to control herself. "Sorry, sorry, I know this shouldn't be funny at all. Okay so I have an idea."

"Don't shower?"

She smirked. "No, you and I will be on the lookout for anyone suspicious; any person who may look like is stalking you or maybe talked to you during class and made a comment about how good you smell that day, things like that…sounds like something a woman would do when I say it this way."

Jeremy nodded. "It does. Who knew Kyle would be right?"

"Who?"

"It's my best friend back at home. While at the airport he told me that even before the town was fully made, vampires and other creatures use to live here. Course I thought it was all bullshit."

"So did I." She paused. "I can also help another way now that I think about it."

"What is it?"

Jeremy watched as his cousin flipped more pages. "I can train myself. Learn how to use important and useful spells to give you more protection."

"Like hocus pocus?"

"I don't think that spell even exists, Jeremy. Let's sit down."

They went over to the bed and looked over some spells that would be of use.

"How about this one? It says that when used, it can make the supernatural have the biggest headache on the spot. The most concentration, the more powerful the headache becomes until it kills him or her…or it."

"What's that one called?"

"In English, it translates to pressure. Each spell has to be conducted in Latin, the original language from which the first witches had spoken."

Jeremy snorted softly. Katherine looked at him in question.

"I just realized you never told me you were a witch in the first place but…I don't feel scared or anything. I trust you."

Katherine felt touched by his words. She smiled. "Thanks, kid. That really adds more pressure on my shoulders."

"Oh, sorry-

"I'm kidding, cousin, relax. But really, thank you. So I'll write the name down."

Katherine went over to her desk and got a notepad, coming back to copy down the name of the spell.

The two teens spent the entire day looking up more spells, only taking breaks for bathroom and food. By the time they went to bed, they had gathered more than twenty spells.

Katherine expected to feel stressed out by how much work she had to learn but she didn't. She felt proud in the idea that she would be the one to protect her family.

As soon as had Tyler stepped into the locker room, he knew he was in trouble. Two locker rows away one of Steve's close friends saw him and said something to he guessed was Steven. He heard a loud slam and Steven stepped into the clearing, glaring at him murderously.

Matt stepped next to Tyler, preparing for the fight.

"Don't." Tyler mumbled to him.

"What are friends for?"

The fight didn't last more than ten minutes before Coach Tanner came into the room and blew his whistle long and hard.

This almost didn't stop Tyler from still going at Steven who looked like he was run over by a van. Matt had to pull him off.

"Holy shit, his eyes!" someone yelled. Everyone stared at Tyler in shock when they saw his eyes. Tyler didn't know what they were talking about. He turned to Matt who took frowned.

"What about his eyes?" he asked.

"Enough! I should kick you all off the football team!" Coach Tanner yelled.

"Tyler started it coach!" Steven argued.

The dark haired teen gave him a humorless laugh and the middle finger.

"That's a lie, sir. Steven did." Stefan commented.

"Oh, you his guardian angel now?"

"After showering and changing, you guys will meet me in the office. Fail to show up in twenty and there's gonna be more trouble." Tanner informed.

Steven tried to argue but the coach ignored him and threatened to pull him off the team on the spot. He had no choice but to shut up and walk off to his locker. Tanner swore under his breath and walked out of the room.

In the office, the coach had sentenced them to run laps an hour before and after practice every day until school started the first week of September. Fail to do as was told and you would be pulled off the team. Little fucking exaggerating but the five players had no choice but to do what the old man ordered.

"More hours of seeing Dorlan's face? This day can get better." Tyler thought grimly.

"Don't think for a minute this isn't over, Lockwood. You're a dead man." Steven threatened outside the school before walking to his car.

"Love you too, asswipe." Tyler said, not loud enough for him to hear.

"You know-

He raised his hand before Matt could continue. "I appreciate you helping me but you didn't have to do that. I did something stupid that I don't regret but I still shouldn't have done so it's my problem, not yours. Now can we go before I fall asleep on the ground?"

Matt started at him for a moment before nodding and following his friend to the car.

It was almost six thirty by the time Tyler was dropped home. When he opened the door, he jumped when he saw his Uncle Mason standing by the staircase with a mug in one hand.

"Sorry to scare you, I heard a car outside and guessed it was you. How was practice?"

Tyler wanted to argue he didn't scare him but he was too tried. "Can't you tell?"

With that, he headed up the stairs. He closed his room door behind him and dropped his gym bag with his dirty uniform on the floor, grateful there was no practice until tomorrow afternoon. He fell asleep almost immediately after he landed on his bed.

Meanwhile downstairs, Mason Lockwood was amused by his clueless nephew. Being alone with the curse, he probably didn't know a lot of things. Tyler reminded Mason of himself. He was also alone when the accident happened that changed his life. He didn't have the same help Mason was willing to help him with. No one should have to go through this alone.

Note: Yup Mason is using Caroline's words at the very last sentence :P

Don't forget to review!


	8. Learning

First Time for Everything

Chapter 8

Note: Thank you guys for your continuing compliments! You have no idea how much it helps me! I'd like to give a big thank you to SomerTrevAckles for an idea about Jeremy…I won't spoil it for you guys but I'm sure it won't be hard to spot hehe! :D

* * *

><p>Katherine was up before anyone else in the house. Even though she knew she had to learn them for offense and defense, she couldn't help but feel excited that she was learning something exciting. As a little girl, she would remember reading and watching movies about witches casting spells that could make them or help them do something they wanted. Like magic. And what child didn't like magic?<p>

She got up at five and went outside to keep from making any noise. She was surprised she was able to read the Latin as easily as she could read English. She could read and talk fluently like if she had done it all her life. Katherine looked at her notepad and decided to practice using the blasting spell which, basically, with a flick of her hand, could throw any person or creature a certain distance away when she wanted.

After around half an hour of learning the words, she went to the back of the house where no one would pass by and see her (and hopefully Jenna wouldn't either). She practiced by taking a small piece of branch and laying it down a few steps away. She chanted the words in her head while reaching her hand out in front of her. Immediately the stick flew back into the woods, too fast for even her eyes to register.

"Too much concentration." She whispered to herself. She wrote down a note in her pad and went to seek another stick. When she returned she froze when she saw a figure looking down at her from a window, then she relaxed when she saw it was Jeremy.

He came down a couple of minutes later.

"Nice bed hair." She teased. Jeremy's brown hair was sticking out in some places.

"What? I move a lot during the night! Anyway why so early?"

She gave him a "are you seriously asking me that question?" look.

"I tend to sleep walk sometimes."

He rolled his eyes.

"Is Jenna awake?" she asked, looking over at the house.

"She's snoring peacefully."

"Good. I can get back to work."

She set down the stick in front of her and motioned Jeremy to move back behind her as they stepped back. This time the stick barely flew. She used a little more force and the stick flew and struck against a tree, breaking it in half.

"That'll do." She said.

She looked over Jeremy to see what his reaction was. He looked amazed but also hesitant.

"Nervous about something?"

"No…um, I've been thinking about something. I don't know if it could be possible for me to do but I'd like to try."

"Well, say it already."

"Think there's a spell I could do? I know I'm not a witch but I'd like to do the things you can."

Jeremy watched as her eyes widened and her mouth open and closed. He had surprised her good. But he wasn't lying when he said he'd like to do spells.

After a moment, she shrugged, still surprised by his question. "No idea but I could take a look."

He nodded and went over as she picked up the book.

"Let's see…"

Jeremy waited anxiously and hoped there could be at least one. He'd take anything.

The teen watched as his cousin's face as she looked over pages of spells in thought. It seemed like hours before Katherine finally pointed to a certain one.

"Here's something you can do…well not on your own at first. I have to help you with the first step."

"What kind of spell is it?" he asked eagerly. He sounded like child who got told he was going to Disneyland but he didn't care.

"It's a transfer spell and…I have to say the words indicated so I could transfer some of my abilities to you, I just have to say which ones. Sounds simple."

"Then I can be a witch too?"

He was defiantly sounding like a child going to Disneyland. Katherine tried hard not to laugh at her cousin's excited expression.

"Seems like it."

"When can we try it?"

"According to this, it sounds like I'm transferring my _knowledge _of the spells to you. So I have to learn how to work them out first."

"Not sounding like I'm trying to rush you, I know it's not going easy, but how long do you think you can learn them?"

Katherine sighed. "I think you were in the right direction when you said if this person was just another teen at our school. Or maybe he's just another person in town—ew I hope he's not like forty or something, that's just wrong—because the person would have come to you already. So right now he or she does not know you exist, which is good. My goal preferably is before this month's full moon just in case but it's only a week away, that's not gonna happen unless I work up a grey hair or two. So my second option would be to master the spells before the next month's full moon."

"So we should probably stay inside that night at all costs."

"Well, _you _have to stay inside that night at all costs but I'll stay with you too. You never know, right? By then I'm sure I'll be good enough protection for the house. I feel I'm doing well so far."

Jeremy smiled. "You are, Kat."

"Kat, huh? Not bad. Hey could you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Could you go inside and keep an eye on Jenna for an hour or two? I want to keep practicing."

"No problem."

"Thanks, kid. I owe you one."

Tyler felt better when he woke up at noon. Too bad he had to go early to run laps soon. He got out of bed, showered and brushed his teeth. He got into a random pair of jeans and his black shirt with the saying "My team sucks". When he grabbed his clean pair of uniform from the closet, he grabbed his gym bag of dirty clothes and headed out to the door. There, ready to knock, was his mother.

"Oh, hi, were you going to practice already?" she asked.

"Yeah, I…want to get there early and warm up. Did you need something?"

"Well, I was going to ask you to stay with your Uncle Mason while your dad and I are out at a meeting but I forgot about your practice."

"I have practice Monday through Thursday beginning at 1. I'm sure he'll be fine alone for a while but if you want I could talk to him and whatever when I come back."

He rest had given him energy to make it through practice. Either way, he owed her.

She smiled. "That would be great of you, thank you. We probably won't be back until around eight or nine. Dinner is in the fridge unless you wanted to order a pizza so here."

Mrs. Lockwood gave her son forty. "You didn't come for dinner yesterday. You ate out?"

"No, Coach just wants us to practice."

Her eyes filled with worry. "You didn't eat anything after practice? Mason told me you came home almost seven and went straight to your room."

He shrugged. "I was tried. I'm fine, I'll eat today."

"Please, don't starve yourself, honey. Okay, your father is probably almost ready so I'll see you tonight if you're not asleep."

"Okay." He returned his mom's goodbye kiss and headed to the laundry room to wash his dirty uniform before going downstairs. He saw Mason in the kitchen, eating breakfast and walked into the room.

"Hey, I'm heading off to practice right now but I'll be back. It's okay if you want to go out while I'm gone. Later."

"You aren't going to eat before you leave?"

"No, I'll buy something from the machine at school. I have a friend waiting outside for me but thanks."

"If you say so."

Matt was waiting outside and nodded to his father who simply watched him back with a serious expression. His mother waved at him and Matt as they left.

"Your dad scares me." Matt said.

"Try living with him."

Note: If you didn't get what was the idea for Jeremy, you can ask. :P


	9. Progress

First Time for Everything

Chapter 9

Note: I wanted to upload two at the same time because the other was too short and didn't have too much in it so here you guys go! :)

Tyler Lockwood was glad this month's full moon was on a Friday. He couldn't go through so much tension in one day. He slept in until almost two which he was glad no one had woken up. He needed as much energy as he could get for tonight. He took his usual morning shower and dressed before going down to breakfast. Mason was eating there as usual with his parents nowhere to be seen or heard.

"Meeting." He explained like if he read his mind, looking down at the newspaper.

"What else is new?"

Tyler went to the fridge and got out some eggs and bacon. He turned on the stove and toasted his first two pieces of bread.

"So what do you plan to do tonight?" he asked.

"Go out. The usual."

Nothing was said after that until Tyler was finished cooking and sat down to eat across from his uncle. He looked up when he saw him place down his paper and set it aside. Mason's face had the same expression as Tyler's father did when he was about to talk about something serious. Tyler had seen this enough times to guess Mason was probably going to do the same.

"Can it wait until after I eat?" Tyler asked.

Mason was surprised but nodded. "I need to head to the restroom anyway."

"You do that."

When his uncle stood up and left, Tyler was tempted to get up and go out the front door. But something held him back. By the time he came back, Tyler had finished his meal. He had practically inhaling it.

"I didn't know there was something out there he couldn't talk to me about." Tyler asked, sighing.

"Your father has nothing to do with it."

"Right." He drawled out.

"I know it must be hard with your new life style; eating more, weird emotional changes. But I guess those aren't the real problems when you're a werewolf."

If Tyler was still eating, he would have probably chocked.

"What..." he was tempted to pretend he was crazy and werewolves didn't exist. But the serious, comprehending look in his uncle's eyes made him realize one thing.

"You're one of them too?" he demanded.

"Unfortunately."

"How did you-when did you know?"

"I smelled your scent. We can distinguish each other. Didn't you pick up mine? A sort of weird, different scent you've never come across before?"

He frowned down at the table tile and nodded.

"I was very surprised to know you, out of all people, would be one. There's been only a few I've encountered since I turned."

"How long?"

"Eight years."

Tyler looked back up at his uncle. "Does it get easier?"

"The pain during transformation lessens with each passing full moon, you can control your emotions and wolf a lot better, even after transformation."

"I can tell its less pain with each full moon. We still age though."

Mason shrugged. "But our body doesn't, at least you don't start feeling it until you're about 60. It's different for each though. How long have you been?"

"2 years. 3 in October."

"Have you ever seen another one of our kind?"

Tyler felt weird when Mason his "our kind". It made him feel like an alien. "You're the first."

"How about vampires or witches?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold the fuck on-

"We exist."

"Yeah but that doesn't mean…" He trailed off and stared at his uncle who just stared at him back. He didn't know what to say. He rubbed his hand over his face and covered it.

"I was surprised too, I admit."

Tyler was starting to hate how calm he was talking about this.

"Can we stop for today?" he mumbled, irritated.

"Sure. Let's get ready for the full moon. Do you also use the old property?"

Tyler nodded.

"Good, let's get the equipment ready. Show me what you use."

Tyler stood up and placed the dishes in the sink before quietly heading to his room with Mason behind him.

He was defiantly glad it was Friday.

Progress had been made with each passing day as Katherine continued to learn and practice every morning. In one week she had mastered the spells that seemed most valuable; pain, movement, fire, tracking, room isolation, reducing pain, and incapacitation ash. She was now working on the message spell. It was smaller but it could come to use one day. Plus to Katherine it sounded a lot like texting with a twist. Though each one had requirements, she would use her current purse to store them. The most common were water and candles. She could easily get small candles at the store while keeping a common water bottle at hand.

"So what do I have to do again?" Jeremy asked.

"Go to your bathroom and bring me a strand of hair from your comb. Then go to your room and stay there and wait for the message to appear near you. It won't take long."

He nodded and walked to the bathroom to bring his cousin a strand of his hair. He then left and went to sit on his bed to wait. They were glad Jenna was out of the house doing errands so she wouldn't ask questions.

"Actually let's do this at a bigger distance. Go outside to wait on the balcony, please."

Jeremy sighed and did as he was told. He leaned against the wood railing for a couple of minutes and looked down to see a piece of folded paper near his elbow. It worked!

"Nice."

He unfolded the note.

Tyler+Jeremy

And next to it was small heart. Great.

Katherine had come downstairs and opened the door, smiking.

"Next time, I'll write the message."

He pushed past her.

"Have some humor, Jere, it won't kill you!" She called, smiling.

"Whatever, we done?"

"Nope. Let's try the hipnosis before calling it a day."

And Jeremy was sure he was going to be the gineua pig again. Double great.

"I need to eat first."

"Think there's some pizza left in the box."

Katherine decided to eat a slice and watched as Jeremy took a big bite of his first slice and chew on it grimly.

She rolled her eyes and swallowed. "It was a joke!"

"I know but it got me thinking…"

She smirked and took a bite, covering her mouth as she talked. "Yeah, I know you think he's hot."

Jeremy's face heated and glared at her. "I was _actaually _going to say that I was thinking that what if Tyler was the cursed werewolf?"

Her smirk faded and she stared at her cousin. "You think he might be the one?"

"I was just suggesting. I also thought maybe you had dreamt something again last night."

She finished her slice before answering. "I haven't dreamt of anything hairy for the last few days. But maybe. Right now we know that Matt will have something to do with the situation later on."

If this was true, Katherine knew Matt was either the werewolf or he would be killed by it.

They heard the front door unlocking and the russleing of bags.

"I brought some things from the groccery store! It was last minute, but I passed it and decided to go for it."

Katherine helped bring the rest from the car and place them on the kitchen counter.

"I can store them. Thanks hun." Jenna said.

Katherine nodded and glanced over at Jeremy who just shrugged. It would be a risk doing any spells in the house while their aunt was around. Guess they had to do it in the morning.

"Um, Jeremy and I are going to town for a bit. That okay with you?" Katherine asked Jenna.

"Sure, just answer your phones if I call you. I'll be here."

"Okay."

Jenna gave Katherine the keys and she motioned for Jeremy to follow.

She got her purse from upstairs and went out the door.

"We going to try the spell outside?"

"No, that could wait until tomorrow. We needed to get out of the house anyway."

Katherine opened the doors and got in.

"But isn't it risky for us to be outside?"

Katherine graoned and laid back into the seat. "Shit, I forgot about that."

She pressed her lips together and started straight ahead in dissapointment.

"Well, where were we going to go?" Jeremy asked.

She shrugged. "Just out. See what's new in town. Probably nothing but at least we can get out of the house for awhile."

Jeremy took out his cellphone and saw he had a few texts from Kyle. His mother was busy looking for jobs like crazy, she told him. But she would call every other day. That saddened him but at least she wouldn't stop calling entirely. He didn't have anything new to talk about. Anything not- dangerous- to- her- son's- life anyway.

"What time is the full moon's climax?" he asked.

"…Eight or nine."

"We have time. It's five forty five."

Katherine looked over at him, unsure.

"You need to relax or else you'll get those grey hairs you mentioned. Think I see one coming out…"

"Fuck you!" she said. "Fine, we'll go."

She turned on the car and headed for downtown.

Mason had dissaproved entirely about his newphew's choice of tools.

"Bet your wolf keeps breaking these, huh?"

"I don't know what else to use! I keep the iron door chained so I can't get out."

After going to Home Depot and getting some heavier duty chains for Tyler, Mason got out a bottle of black liquid and showed it to him.

"What is that?"

"It's called wolfsbane. When enough is taken, it will stop you from turning into an actual wolf. The problem is that the plant does not grow all year around. Only during the spring days of the year in the northern mountains. For a lot of reasons, I can't get enough to make a yearly supply but if we drink half each, we're good."

Mason made sure one more time the chains were well off before he opened the bottle. He looked over at Tyler. "Be warned, it doesn't taste like grape juice."

Mason leaned against the cement wall and closed his eyes. He pressed the opened to his lips and tipped his head back to drink. Tyler saw his uncle's body convulse and he began to cough violently.

Mason saw he still needed a little more and he drank what was left. He wanted to vomit badly but he used every once of energy in his body to keep it down. When he was done, he slid down against the wall and took deep breaths. Drops of sweat were rolling his down back and the sides of his face.

"Your turn."

Tyler pressed his lips together, staring down the bottle of the other male's hand like if it was a snake.

"I don't think I can do it, Mason."

The older male stared at him. "Hell you can. I did it, so can you!"

Tyler slowly went over and took it.

"Hold your nose if you need to. Think of this like taking a very bad tasting medication."

"Very, very, bad tasting medication."

Tyler brought the opening to his lips and pinched his nose closed.

"Don't stop until you're finished, Tyler." Mason warned.

He tipped it and began drinking. He couldn't taste it but he could feel the burning sensation.

"Keep going!"

And he did. By the time, he was done he didn't dare take his finger off his nose as he coughed.

It took a good couple of minutes for Tyler to calm down. He finally took his hand away. He grimanced at the taste.

"God damn it!"

"I know."

"W-we should go on fear facor one day."

Mason snorted. "Let's keep working."

He helped Tyler get chained securly to the wall. Mason checked the time on his watch and saw they had a little more than an hour before the climax arrived. It always came moments after eight. He placed the watch outside the gate and proceeded to chain himself to the wall. They sat down on the floor, only wearing running shorts, and waited.

When Katherine and Jeremy had arrived at the Grill, Katherine was surprised to see Matt working there.

"Hey, Mattie." She said.

Matt smiled. "What's up, Katherine? Good to see you."

He looked over at Jeremy. "Who's this?"

"Jeremy, my cousin from Florida. He arrived a few days ago. Jeremy…this is Matt, a friend from school."

"Nice to meet you." Jeremy greeted shaking his hand.

"Same here."

They stood there awkwardly for a moment before Matt showed them to an empty booth.

"Do you guys know what you want?"

"Strawbeery milkshake for me."

Matt wrote it down on his pad and looked at Jeremy.

"Nothing for me, thanks."

"Sure?"

"He'll get a chocolate one, Mattie, thank you."

Matt smiled and wrote it down. "I'll be back with your orders."

"Mmmmm…interesting." Katherine purred, clapping her hands together slowly while watching the blonde round the corner.

"I know it's such a weird coinsidence he's working here. Destiny definatly hates me."

She frowned at him and rolled her eyes. "No, idiot, I mean how Matt lingered a second too long on you before he left."

Jeremy stared back at her, confused. "I don't know what you're…oh, hell no!"

"It's possible. Would you date him?"

"You're so emberessing! And no."

"Why?"

"You told me he's not gay."

"That's your reason?"

"No, I wouldn't date him because…"

Katherine stared at him for a long moment.

"I just wouldn't." he finished lamely.

Matt was an actractive guy but he didn't interest Jeremy for some reason.

Katherine nodded slowly. "Okay."

He sensed she wasn't convinced but she wouldn't press it. For not probably.

"Even if he did stare "a second too long" or whatever, he probably did it because he doesn't know me and wants me to feel welcome."

She shook her head, a knowing smile appearing on her face. "Nope."

Matt then came with their drinks.

"Thanks, Mattie." Katherine said.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Anything else?"

"We're perfect."

Jeremy wanted to groan at Katherine's little flirty voice.

"Cool, I'll check back later."

A moment later. "Definatly staring a second too long."

Jeremy stared at her in disbaleif. "You're an idiot."

"Well, hate to tell you this, but idiots don't learn eight spells in less then two weeks. I reached my goal in learning useful spells before the full moon tonight so ha-oh, hottie at seven o'clock."

Jeremy just rolled his eyes and continued to sip at his milkshake.

Girls.

As Matt Donovan continued to do his shift, his mind kept drifing off. He was confused and a little scared too. He has never been nervous around a guy unless it was Steven or Tyler when he did stupid things. He knew his nervous feeling for Katherine's cousin was not fear of the guy himself. He bearly knew the guy. He looked nice and all but…come on, he was still a guy.

Then why was he feeling this way?

Note: Oh god, I feel so nervous about the Matt encounter and his thoughts there at the end! Hopefully you guys think it's okay!


	10. He's here

First Time for Everything

Chapter 10

Note: Thank you guys for reviewing! XOXO :) Means so much!

Tyler felt hands shake him awake. It was not strong but it was there. The teen opened his eyes and turned to stare up at his uncle.

"We need to head back to the house." He mumbled.

"I can't move. So tired."

"I know but we have to go back. Your mom has called already."

Tyler groaned.

"Lean against me if you need to." Mason added.

"Fine!"

Mason had to practically carry Tyler home. The older man had gotten use to the aftermath of the full moon. The two boys left their tools in the old property to get later. When they arrived home, Mrs. Lockwood was already calling from the living room.

"Mason? Tyler?"

"It's us, Carol." Mason replied.

Mrs. Lockwood's eyes widened when she saw the state they were in.

"What happened?" she demanded, rushing over to them.

Tyler raised his arms (or at least tried to). "We were hanging out all night, mom. We're fine."

"Fine? You guys look like you came back from a war!"

"Could you please keep your voice down, mom? It hurts my head."

She glared at Mason. "I'll be telling Richard about this."

Mason smiled apologetically. "I know. We're sorry for coming home this way. I'll take him to bed."

Tyler dropped down like a rag down onto the bed and was instantly asleep. Mason went to his own room and fell asleep as well.

It wasn't until ten that Tyler's eyes opened. He didn't move. He stayed staring at the ceiling, his fingers clutching at the sheets under him until they turned white. He remembered. He remembered his wolf and how desperate he was to get out of that place. He was sure that was no different than any other full moon…except this time he felt and saw something that night…

He's here. I need out! I need-I need it! Blood! Flesh! I'll go insane! I'll fucking kill anyone…

That was all he remembered from that night. He remembered his wolf snarling the words out, saw him trying to tear off the gate. Tyler didn't know who his other side was talking about but he felt what he felt. For him it was like water in a desert or a shot of cocaine for a drug addict. All he knew what that he needed this person or else he'll die. But then it talked about blood and flesh and how he needed it too. Was it from the same person or a different one?

He couldn't take it anymore. Tyler shot up from the bed and went out into the hallway, towards Mason's bedroom. The door was closed so he knocked firmly on it, feeling the disturbance settle in his gut from the demon's words printed in his mind.

When Mason didn't answer the first time, he knocked louder. A moment later, he heard his uncle swear under his breath and get out of bed. When Mason opened the door, he was glaring down at his nephew.

"Someone better be dying."

"No but I need to talk to you about something and it fucking has to be now!"

"Shut. Up. Your parents are sleeping."

"Can I come in now?"

Mason suddenly saw the fear in his nephew's eyes and couldn't help remembering him when he came to visit Tyler when he was still a child. Life had been better when he was human.

The older male sighed deeply and motioned him inside. He was glad at least it wasn't his brother who had woken him. He was sure that would happen in the morning. He closed the door and turned to look at the teen.

"What's wrong?"

Tyler sat at the edge of his bed, staring down at the wooden floor. He looked up. "I heard something last night. It's never happened before-

"You heard your wolf talk last night?"

"It wasn't to me though. He was saying these things that this guy was here and he needed to get out and needed blood and flesh or he'd go insane!"

"Keep your voice down."

Mason had barely whispered that, his eyes telling Tyler his mind was suddenly somewhere else. Tyler waited to see what he had to say but moments passed and nothing was said. Mason had a deep frown on his face while he started at the wall behind Tyler with an unrecognizable expression on his face.

"Mason?"

His uncle slowly drew his gaze with his own.

"Do you know what he was talking about?" Tyler demanded. This time Mason didn't even try to quiet him down. The other man simply nodded, almost with pity.

"It's your mate, Tyler."

Long moments passed and they just stared at one another. Tyler had to let that sink in.

When he snapped out of it, he stood up, angrily. "That's such bullshit, Mason. I can get use to the idea of vampires and all that crap but…that's not possible. I've been a werewolf almost three years of my life now and I've never come across this kind of problem!"

"Then that means your mate probably came out of town."

Tyler's hands clenched at his sides. "Stop calling him that. I will _not _turn into a fag!"

Suddenly Mason had Tyler pinned down to the bed. "Keep your god damn voice down! Do you want your parents to hear all this?"

Tyler growled dangerously. "Get off me."

"Look, I'm sorry your mate had to be a guy but there is nothing you can do about it and yelling is not going to help."

"I don't give a fucking shit, Mason, I don't care who this guy is. I'm not touching another guy that way."

Tyler struggled and Mason got off. Tyler headed for the door and left. No one was going to tell him who to love. No one.

"I'm not going to get brain damage or anything with this, am I?" Jeremy asked as he lay down on the grass in the backyard.

Katherine giggled. "Kid, sometimes you're so clueless with guys that I think that's too late."

"Screw you! I'm not clueless with guys! Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I have to go chase every guy I see! Anyway, if you're saying this because of Matt we saw how he was trying to avoid even looking at me when you asked for the bill. He decided he's going to hate me for some reason."

"I'll talk with Matt later about that but let's not worry about that right now. Relax, and close your eyes."

"Okay."

Katherine dipped her first two fingers of each hand into the small bowl of water next to her. She then gently placed them onto Jeremy's temples. The boy would not remember anything after but she didn't need to tell him that right now. She'd like to find anything that could help with their situation.

"Alright, Jere, what is your favorite hobby?"

Not the best of questions she could have asked but she'd like to start with something easy.

"Drawing."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "How interesting. What kind of things do you draw?"

"Cartoons; monsters, aliens, sometimes I copy from pictures we have at home in Florida."

"Okay. Now tell me about your family. How's your father like?"

"I don't know. I've never met him in person before. Only pictures my mom has shown me."

Katherine felt a pang of sadness. "Do you wish you can?"

"Sometimes."

"How about your mom? What's she like?"

"Sweet and caring. Always trying to make us have a good life and be happy even though dad is not with us."

If only her mom was like that. Her mom hasn't called her since she left. Either that or she talks to Jenna on her cell and tells her not to tell me she called. She could say she could care less but, in fact, it hurt her more than anybody can imagine. A tear slid down his face and she was about to wipe it away but she didn't want to take the risk of breaking the spell.

"So…why did you think Matt changed with you yesterday?"

"Thought I was a freak like everyone in my other school did."

"That's not true." She whispered. "I think you're a great person anyone should be lucky to have as a friend."

She was turning mushy and that's not her. She didn't want it to be. She's been hurt too many times. With time, she learned that people trample over you when you're too nice. She swore that would never happen again.

She took her fingers off his temples. "We're done, kid."

Jeremy opened his eyes and blinked few times. Then he frowned and sat up.

"What happened?"

"I asked you a few questions. Nothing major."

"Why can't I remember what you said?"

"That's a symptom."

"And you cared to tell me this now?"

"I'm sorry, okay? You wouldn't have done it if I would have told you!" she snapped.

"I would have! I told you once that I trusted you, wasn't that enough? You don't have to lie to me!"

Jeremy stood up and glared down at her. "If we're going to go through with this together then at least you should trust me back."

Katherine watched as he walked away. She felt a small gasp slip through her lips when she saw he was heading towards the road.

"Where are you going?" she yelled.

He didn't even turn back. He headed down the side of the road.

"Ugh, God help me." she mumbled, pouring out the water from the bowl and taking her stuff into the house to find her keys. She had to go after him before something could happen.

Jeremy wasn't angry anymore. He just felt lonely like he always did. Even though he had Kyle as a close friend, the only real person he had was his mother. He never felt accepted with people his age. He had first started out in Kindergarten trying to talk to people but they had made fun of him and either walked away of ignored when he tried to join them. He had kept trying all through elementary and middle school but it all ended with the same result. Even though he had met Kyle who had also been rejected, Jeremy still wished he could have more friends. During the summer before freshman year began, he decided to be a loner and not talk to anybody unless he was forced with a partner on a project (usually he just begged until he convinced the teacher to let him work alone). So here he was again, walking alone down a lonely road, feeling sorry for himself. How he wished his mom was here. He paused and took out his cellphone. He called but it just took him to voicemail. He tried once more but it did the same thing. Why did she turn her cellphone off? Did someone offer her a job? He hoped. He suddenly wished more than ever he could be back home.

Jeremy then decided it would be better to just go back home before he got killed. He turned around and started to head the other direction. He saw a car coming ahead and looked curiously to see who it was. His eyes widened when the car slowed down next to him and saw it was Matt Donovan.

"Hi." He said awkwardly.

"Hey."

"Heading home?"

Jeremy hesitated. He didn't want to go back but he didn't have anywhere else to go. "I don't know."

"Where's Katherine?"

"At home."

Matt waited for him to explain.

"Oh…we got into an argument. It was stupid."

Matt snorted softly and nodded. "Well I'm heading home right now. My manager was feeling nice today and decided to let my off early. Do you…want to come? You can call Jenna on the way to say you're coming to my house. She knows me."

Jeremy thought about this. It was weird that Matt was trying to avoid him yesterday and now he's being friendly. Though he didn't seem completely comfortable right now, he's still asking him to hang out for some reason. Defiantly weird but it was still better than going back home and be in the same house as Katherine right now. She needed to think about what he told her.

He smiled. "Sure, thanks."

Part of him told him he shouldn't be doing this. The other didn't seem to mind at all. Matt told himself he was just being friendly and that he would have had a guilt conscious if he just passed Jeremy by and had something happen to the boy. The drive to his house was quiet but he didn't feel it uncomfortable. Within minutes, they had arrived and parked the car into the driveway.

"I'll warn you I have a sister."

Jeremy glanced over at him. "A little one?"

He chuckled. "I wish. No she's seventeen and has a big attitude when she wants to. So sorry if she scares you."

"I'm sure she can't be worse than Katherine."

Matt just grinned and got out of the car. Jeremy followed him into the house.

"Vicky, we're home and have a visitor so don't be yourself right now!"

"Shut up!"

Jeremy turned to see a girl with long dark brown hair and brown eyes come through the door. She wore simple jeans and a black t shirt with a logo he did not recognize.

When Vicky saw him she paused and looked up and down twice.

"Hello." She greeted, sounding appreciating to what she saw. "What's your name?"

Jeremy gave her a polite smile. "Hi, I'm Jeremy Gilbert."

I looked over at Matt who was giving Vicky a warning look which she didn't pay any attention to.

"It's so nice to meet you. Though I don't think I've seen you before."

"I'm Katherine's cousin. I came from Florida to check out how Mystic Falls was and come to school here for a year."

Her smile wavered at the mention of Katherine but grew when I said about staying.  
>"You're going to love it here! Isn't that right, Matt?"<p>

"Um-

She cut him off. "And I'll be your friend so you won't feel lonely when school starts-

"Vicky, calm down!" Matt snapped.

"What?" She snapped back, glaring over at him.

"Okay, so I see I'm causing trouble. I should go." I said quickly, face turning red.

"No!-

The whole room suddenly turned quiet. Vicky stared at her brother weirdly while Jeremy looked at the blonde with surprise. Matt had suddenly sounded desperately. Matt tone had made it clear he did not want Jeremy to leave. With this realization, Matt's face turned brought red and excused himself to the bathroom.

What the in world was he thinking? How was he supposed to face Jeremy now? It was a slip of the tongue, he told himself, but he hadn't want for Jeremy to leave. All he wanted was to suddenly take Jeremy away from Vicky. That was not right. Completely not right. He could not like Jeremy that way, he…wasn't like that. He's just stressed from work. Stressed from work and the problems that they had since their mom isn't here like she should instead of chasing men around. What should he do now? Take Jeremy home? He surely wants an explanation for his outburst. Shit, he was screwed.

Matt knew he couldn't stay in the bathroom forever. He had to man up and pretend nothing happened...easier said than done but he couldn't stay here. Matt took a deep breath splashed some water on his face before drying it and walking out.

Jeremy and Vicky were sitting in front of the T.V., talking while his sister flipped through the channels. But then he noticed something; Vicky was acting…normal. She wasn't throwing herself at Jeremy or showing any sign of flirtation.

"You going to stand there all day?" his sister asked.

He broke out of his thoughts and quickly nodded. Jeremy started over at him, unsure of what to do or say.

Matt sat down next to Jeremy but far enough for them to notice something was still up.

"Guys wanns see the Texas Chainsaw Massacre?" Vicky asked.

"Sure."

"I'll make some popcorn."

Matt got up and went to the kitchen. Matt popped two separate bags, knowing Vicky liked to hog the whole bowl. He brought the two bowls over and went to go get the Pepsi.

"Thanks." Jeremy said, smiling softly at him.

Matt looked away and nodded. "No problem."

Before he could sit down, someone pounded at the door.

"Matt it's me, open the fuck up!"

It was Tyler.

Note: =^^=


	11. Messing with my head

First Time for Everything

Chapter 11

Note: Thank you everyone for your support! :D You guys are amazing! XOXO

Aldarame: Thank you for your review and yes I'm back…with a vengeance muahahaha jk (random)! I'm glad they're finally meeting too but idk if you and the others will like his reaction but I just can't resist adding drama hehe!

* * *

><p>Jeremy looked over at Matt, wondering if it was trouble.<p>

"I'll be back." Matt said, sighing.

"It's okay, it's Tyler. He's a friend of Matt's." Vicky explained next to him, turning down the volume to hear what was going on.

Jeremy's eyes widened. Tyler? As in Tyler Lockwood?

Matt opened the door and glared at Tyler. "That was not necessary."

"Can I come in?" he asked impatiently.

Matt frowned. Tyler looked pissed off and scared.

"Something happen with Steven?"

Tyler rolled his eyes and pushed past Matt without answering.

"What's your problem, man?"

"Nothing I just…"

Matt closed the door and came over. Tyler was looking over at Jeremy and looked back at Matt.

"This is Jeremy Gilbert, Katherine's cousin. I asked him to come over."

Jeremy gave Tyler a curt wave. Vicky said a small hi. Tyler just turned away, ignoring them both.

"What's wrong with you, Ty?" Matt asked.

"Shit has come up that I can't really talk about. Do you have something to eat?"

Tyler walked towards the kitchen and opened the fridge, looking through the contents.

"Sorry." Matt said to Jeremy for the intrusion. Jeremy just smiled and shrugged. He'd seen worse.

Matt went to talk to Tyler into the kitchen.

Jeremy looked over at Vicky.

"He's tends to do that sometimes. He must have gotten into a fight with his dad."

"They don't get along?"

"They tolerate each other cause they have to live in the same place. Tyler's father is the mayor of the town."

Jeremy snorted. "Well that explains everything."

Vicky smirked and turned back to the T.V., turning up the volume again.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash in the kitchen, making both teens jump in surprise.

"Tyler, are you insane?" Matt yelled.

Jeremy turned to see Tyler poking his head around the kitchen wall. Their eyes held each other for a few seconds before Tyler's head went back inside.

Silence.

Tyler suddenly burst from the kitchen, running at the door and pushing it open to run out.

"Tyler!" Matt called running after him. He went out after him. Vicky turned down the volume again and they heard Matt's continuing calls outside. A moment later the blonde came back into the house, looking troubled. He closed the door and leaned against it.

"Everything…okay?" Jeremy asked gently. Matt looked over at him. He started for a few seconds and nodded.

"That's not like him." Jeremy barely heard him say.

"I know, that was way too non-Tyler behavior. Even I don't do that! What the hell happened in there?"

Matt shook his head, trying to figure it out for himself. "He just…went to the kitchen and I followed him after, trying to talk to him when he froze and suddenly dropped the glass bowl. He then looked at something in your guys' direction, did you guys see that?"

"He was looking at Jeremy, that's what I saw."

Matt looked at Jeremy. Jeremy grimaced. "People don't really like me."

Matt frowned. "No, that couldn't be it. There was something else going through his mind. You didn't see his face in the kitchen."

"I don't know about Jeremy, but I did. Scary!"

Tyler ran until he decided he was far from Matt's house.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" he swore loudly. He was in another neighborhood, leaning against a tree from the woods. It had been him. The guy the wolf had mentioned last night and Mason told him about. His mate.

It wasn't so much that he had found his other half but…why did it have to be _male_? Fate had a sick sense of humor. Or maybe his wolf did. His inner demon was squirming and growling for him to go back but he refused. The full moon had passed so he was in control. What if he hadn't been? A strong urge to jump the Jeremy kid in front of Matt and his sister were mind breaking and if he hadn't gotten out of there that instant, he would have done it. Not only that but he had felt _jealousy _that Matt was even near Jeremy and, for a second, wanted to kill him. His best friend he's had since as far back as he can remember. Shit his ass.

Tyler let his body slide down onto the dirt and stares up at the moon, sweat sliding down the sides of his face. Jeremy. He was gorgeous…

Tyler groaned and closed his eyes. The moon has officially messed up not only his life, but his mind as well.

What the fucking fuck what he going to do now?

Matt had offered to take him home after the stunt Tyler had pulled in his house. Vicky had insisted that they shouldn't let, quote, "that cocky headed rich boy" ruin our fun. She convinced his brother to let Jeremy stay for a while longer. Katherine had called Jeremy a few times during that time but he didn't answer. Jenna knew where he was anyway.

On the way home, Jeremy couldn't stop thinking about what had been in Tyler's eyes when he looked into them. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about it the time after he left. There had been…lust and longing but also fear and hatred towards him. Jeremy scrambled through his memories, trying to remember if Kat had ever told him Tyler was gay or maybe bi but he couldn't come up with anything. She had teased him that _he _liked Tyler but never the other way around. What happened back there? Maybe the guy was on drugs…

"Jeremy!"

Jeremy glanced over at Matt. "What?"

Matt looked guilty. "Tyler got you upset, didn't he?"

"You have no idea." Jeremy thought. Then he said, "No, I'm fine. Shit happens."

"Yeah, gonna have to talk to him tomorrow. But, hey, don't think of him as a bad guy or anything. He's nice once you get to know him. He just has a lot of problems with his parents. Father mostly."

Jeremy just nodded.

Matt stopped in front of the house.

"Thanks for offering me to hang out. I had fun and I was right." Jeremy said.

"About what?"

"That your sister couldn't be as bad as Katherine."

Matt laughed.

"It's true. Not even close."

Matt smiled appreciating the compliment. "I'll pass that on to her."

The two boys stared at each other. Matt's eyes slowly gazed around the younger boy's face. Jeremy had quite a nice complexion; deep brown eyes, a straight nose, high cheek bones, lips…

Matt looked away, praying Jeremy hadn't seen his eyes wandering. "Goodnight then."

Jeremy noticed Matt's change of behavior but decided not to say anything. "Goodnight. I'll text you tomorrow."

Jeremy got out and closed the door, walking to the door and knocking for one of the girls to open the door. A moment later Katherine answered it and just stepped aside for him to come in. Jeremy turned back to wave at Matt before going inside.

"Just stressed out, nothing more."

Matt mumbled to himself calmly as he drove away once he saw Jeremy had gone inside safely, hands trembling on the wheel the whole way home.

Jeremy couldn't sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about Tyler's eyes—not in that way—they were beautiful but—fuck! That was not the point! The teen replayed when their eyes met, thinking about the emotions he had seen in them. If was almost scary to think Tyler could feel something for…him…

Jeremy looked over slowly in the direction of the window. The curtains blew gently with the little wind there was with the warm weather. He quickly got up and went over to close the window, looking out to make sure no one was out there. Satisfied, he walked over to the door and opened it, heading over to Katherine's door. He knocked gently enough for Jenna not to hear downstairs. He couldn't knock any louder without risking her over hearing. With a miracle, the door opened a moment later, revealing a confused and tired Katherine in her pink pajamas.

She was about to ask what he wanted but stopped. His face must have said it all.

"So the time has come, huh?" She whispered. Jeremy continued to stare at her.

She motioned him inside. She knew he was not going to be able to sleep tonight. That made two of them.

Note: If you guys can't read when I switch placed/POVs, tell me. I do press enter two times and then indent but it doesn't show up on here. Don't know why :_


	12. Things happen for a reason

First Time for Everything

Chapter 12

Note: XOXO for more comments that boost my confidence to keep going :) thank you all! Sorry for my typos. I checked the chapter over but if I still missed something, then I apologize again!

Somewhere in Mystic Falls, a dark soul was forming a plan. It was difficult, he had to admit, but it would be well worth it. He just need time, to watch and explore ideas to build upon. He wanted-_needed_-to crush his enemy. He'd die a happy man. Tyler Lockwood would pay. All he needed was a weakness. ..

Nither of the two teens got much sleep that night as expected. Their minds were focused on the situation now more than ever after. Jeremy had told Katherine what had happened back at Matt's house before they had fallen asleep.

"Who knew it would actually be Tyler?" Katherine mumbled. "Though we still have a little more time. He's in denial with his wolf right in in accepting you."

"How long can he keep it up?"

"No idea. The more he sees you, the more control he'll lose I'm sure."

Katherine stood up and walked over to her calendar.

"School starts August 24th so we have two months before our trouble is at its fullest." She added.

"Tyler's a senior this year, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"There's a chance that we won't have the same classes."

Katherine turned to look at her cousin who was lying on her bed, staring seriously up at the ceiling. "Not to bust your bubble of positive, but he could still smell you from a pretty far distance. It's not all about if he sees you or not."

Jeremy suddenly sat up, determination filling his features. "Then we have to do it now."

"Do what?"

"The spell which can transfer your powers over to me. I'll be able to protect myself when you're not with me."

Katherine hesitated. Jeremy saw this and frowned.

"What?"

"It's not as easy as it sounds. Just because you have them, doesn't mean you know how to use them. Anyway you need to speak and read words in Latin."

Jeremy huffed in disbelief. "You said that it would transfer _your_ knowledge. So wouldn't I know what to do and how to read?"

She came over and sat down next to him.

"Think about it. I transfer _my _knowledge to you. What does it remind you of?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The sentence! If I'm going to transfer what I know to you, what does it remind you of?"

Jeremy stared at her, thinking but not sure where she was getting at.

"It sounds like a teacher and a student. A teacher is there to help students learn but what if the teacher wasn't there to really help them? Just told them to read the information out of the book?"

"The students wouldn't learn much?"

"Same thing with this. If I just gave you my powers without really helping you, you wouldn't know what to do. It's not like I'm going to transfer my brain along with the spells."

"So I'm basically a sitting duck when you're not around."

"Don't think of me as the bad guy here. You're not a witch. You can't speak or read Latin by just looking down at it for the first time in your life. But you've got me, don't you? Do you think I'd let him take you away?"

Jeremy shook his head.

"I'm sorry for lying to you but you can trust me. I trust you too but you know my reasons for not doing the spell. Anyway, like I said I'm not going to let him take you away…" Katherine smirked. "Unless you fall in love with him and you wouldn't mind."

He rolled his eyes. "Not funny."

"One thing for sure though, human Tyler would never hurt you once he stop denying."

Jeremy looked nervous. "The wolf will?"

"No…but, let's say, if you fall in love with Tyler—don't look at me like that I said if!-then you submit to him. If you don't submit to his wolf if he ever gets his hands on you, he would hurt you. Not enough to kill you but enough for you to feel pain until you give up."

"Oh god, I had to have sex with a wolf?"

"No, he knows it's not natural. The only time you'd have sex with the wolf is when Tyler is only half turned if you're ever there near him. I read the information in the book."

"Kat, doo you honestly believe that Tyler will stop denying me? You never told me he was gay or bi."

"Yeah, cause I've never seen him scream it out from the mountain tops, duh." She replied sarcastically.

"Shut up, I was being serious."

Jenna then announced breakfast downstairs.

"To answer your question, yes he can and I'm sure he will. Plus, come on, he's a guy. Sex to you guys is like breathing."

"Haha."

Mason was given a good talk from his brother the next morning. Tyler got grounded for a week except from going to football practice. Tyler would have been happier if he would have been grounded from the practice but then he decided he would use it to let off steam.

After Tyler did his usual morning routine, he went downstairs after his parents left to find Mason downstairs in the kitchen, drinking coffee.

"I saw him." He said as he walked in.

Mason glanced over at him with shocked eyes. He placed his mug down as he watched his nephew sit down across from him.

"When? How?"

"Last night after you told me the news. I went over to a friend's house and saw a guy there, Jeremy I believe it was. Matt said he was Katherine's cousin, a girl from my school. I didn't think anything of him until I went to the kitchen to get something to eat. Then…the scent hit me. There are no damn words to describe how…

"How amazing it smelled." Mason said, knowing what he meant.

Tyler narrowed his eyes at him. "Have you met you mate? I've never heard my father say anything about you in serious relationship."

"No I haven't. I hope I do before I'm forty. Believe it or not, there are times when I wish I could have a family."

"But it could be a male for you too?"

"Yeah. Every person out there with this curse sometimes won't get what they want. Just because you're a guy, doesn't mean you'll a girl. A girl doesn't mean she'll get a guy."

"That's not fair."

Mason shrugged. "It's the way things happen."

Silence came between the two boys. Mason continued to sip at his coffee while Tyler drifted into thinking.

"So is it only my wolf that likes this guy or…?" Tyler asked.

"Right now you probably don't because your sexuality is getting in the way. If you get to know him better…who knows? Though this guy seems to be out of town so I suggest you don't think about it too much because…"

Mason slowly leaned forward. "You need him Tyler. It's hard to agree with me since I'm not in your shoes but if your mate is not near you, you're going to go crazy. Literally."

Tyler rubbed his temples. "So I don't have another other option but to give in?"

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want to be gay, Mason."

"Technically, you're going to be gay for one person. This Jeremy is the only person you'll ever be interested in for the rest of your life."

"And what if _he_ doesn't want me?"

"Oh he will, no matter what his preferences are. He'll sense something about you that will draw him to you. It's not going to be for him like having a wolf but it will be similar. Though you're going to have to try harder because he won't know why he feels that way."

Tyler stopped rubbing his temples, feeling almost defeated. He hated Jeremy for being a guy but then he couldn't really hate him, he was sure.

"I'll be in my room." He mumbled and stood up, walking out.

"Don't feel like it's the end of the world, Tyler. Things will get easier."

When Tyler closed his bedroom door behind him, he went over to his cellphone and saw Matt had called him a few times.

Tyler pressed to call him back. He picked up after five rings.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Tyler licked his lips and he knew Matt wanted an apology for acting like a weirdo last night. "About last night, I wasn't feeling like myself."

"You weren't yourself at all, man. What happened to you?"

"I had a fight with my dad about something stupid. Threatened me to call the coach to kick me off the team."

"That still is no excuse. I had a guest there and I had to cover up for you!"

"I know, I'm sorry."

Matt sighed. "I have to go, I'm at work right now."

"Okay, I'm grounded so I can't go anywhere for the rest of the week so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wish I could be grounded so I don't have to be here but whatever. See ya."

Tyler smirked. "Bye."

He hung up and sat down on his bed. He thought about Jeremy and his predicament. All of this was his fault. If he wasn't such a jackass with his mom, he would still be human and be the free to do whatever he wanted. But then things always happened for a reason. For this, he was paying for being a horny dick. No pun intended.

After breakfast, Jeremy got a call from his mom. He excused himself to go to his room.

"Hey, mom."

"Hey, baby! How's are you days been?"

"Good. I've been hanging out with Katherine and talking to Jenna. They're good people."

"What's wrong? You sound tried. You're not getting sick, are you?"

"Oh no, I've just been sleeping late and all that. I'm fine."

"…Alright. So I'm glad you're doing fine so far. When does school start?"

"August 24th."

"You excited?"

"Yup. So how about you? I tried to call you yesterday but you had your phone off."

"I forgot to turn it on after going to church. I'm sorry! You know I won't work well with cellphones."

"You went to church?"

She laughed. "Don't sound so surprised! I've been praying a lot of us lately and I really hope to get a better job. Mr. Wood gave me the waitress job back so I can at least have food for myself and pay for the bills."

"Well at least you have a job, that's something good, right?"

"Sure is. So tell me, any girl I should know?"

No just a guy. "No, I haven't started school yet. Anyway, I think a lot of people go out of town during the summer."

"Well, tell me once you see an interest."

"I will. Though I've never been good with people."

"Don't be silly! You're cute, smart, funny, and artistic! Any girl would fall for you!"

Moms. Jeremy smiled, rolling his eyes at his mom's craziness. "You're right."

"I know I'm right! Alright I go back to work in ten so I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you so much more, my baby! Give my hugs and greetings to your aunt and cousin over there!"

"I will. Bye."

"Bye!"

When Jeremy hung up, we went over to Katherine's door and knocked. She opened and motioned him to come inside, eating a cookie.

"How's your mom doing? Any luck with jobs?"

"Not yet but she's doing well. She's working as a waitress right now. An old friend helped her out. She sends greetings and hugs to you."

"Thanks, and at least she's getting some money in for herself."

"I know, I'm glad-hey!"

Katherine took Jeremy's phone from his hands.

"Give it!"

"Hold on I just want to see something."

Katherine went through Jeremy's contacts and smirked when she found Matt's name on the list. She showed Jeremy the screen and raised an eyebrow.

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "We're friends. Give it!"

"Let's send Matt a message!"

Before Jeremy could reach her, he felt himself being stopped by an invisible force.

"What the-? Hey, you're not supposed to use magic on me!"

"I'm not going to say anything embarrassing."

_Hey._

She let the hold on him go and gave him the phone back. He quickly looked at what she wrote and he glared at her.

"What?" she asked innocently. Jeremy's phone vibrated from the reply.

**Hey. What's up? **

Katherine giggled. "That was fast."

"Shut up."

He sat down on Katherine's bed and texted him back.

_Just at home, bored. What about you? _

"I was thinking about you." Katherine teased.

"Text that on my phone, there's going to be a world war three."

Katherine smiled and headed to the door. "Going to get another cookie."

Jeremy nodded and looked back down at the screen. This time it was Kyle.

**Yo, dude! What's up? Got laid yet? **

_No but I'm sure you did. _

**Got that right :P Nahh I wish. Still virgin :(**

_Still? Shame on you. You should go out there and be the best man whore you could be. _

**I know, right? Oh, I think I hear girls lining up at my door! **

_Or maybe it's just the post man. _

**Oh well, you get what you get XD **

_Whore. _

**Thanks, so any hot girls? Dude, I remember you showed me a picture of your cousin you live with right now…wow *drools and dies***

_No girls and I can't agree with you because she's my cousin. _

**No girls? What is it an all -guy town? Could you give me her phone number?**

_Maybe and no._

**You suck :(**

_Thanks. _

Matt then answered. **Working but at least it isn't crazy today. Sundays almost always are but I'm leaving early, have football practice tomorrow. Have any plans tomorrow afternoon? You could come watch us awhile. **

"Uuuuu, what's this?"

Jeremy glanced up at Katherine. He jerked the phone out of his cousins' view.

"He's being nice."

"Mmmhm. You are going, right? Can I come with?"

"Why do you want to go see guys play football?"

Katherine got a lustful look on her face. "Gives me a chance to see Stefan."

"Stupid of me to ask. Alright, I won't tell him you're coming. I'm sure he won't mind anyway."

Katherine sat next to her cousin, watching him type while chewing on her last bite of cookie.

_What time do you guys start? _

Note: Don't forget to review! Thankies!


	13. Tantrum

First Time for Everything

Chapter 13

Note: Thank you everyone! You guys make me smile! :)

Aldarame: Oh my god! When I read that I thought you were serious! I was ready to have a heart attack! XD good one! But I'm seriously glad you liked it and still have you as a great supporter! Jealous guys (at least in the story world) are so yummy :)

Jessy: How interesting! :D I wouldn't mind that couple! I've actually only seen one story for Matt and Jeremy though in this site :( but I'm glad you like the story either way! Thank you for your review!

PS. I'm so sorry for the lack of Jyler. Just building drama. But I have a surprise for you guys next chapter for them that I'm sure you'll like!

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><p>"I don't know you." Jeremy said as Katherine came down the stairs. They were going to see the football practice and the girl decided to dress and impress. She wore a tight black spaghetti strap with tight shorts and big black high heeled shoes. Her light pink purse hanging from her forearm while she carried an umbrella in the other. She didn't wear too much make up, not that she needed it. Once the guys saw her, she'll be having more than Stefan's attention. But she was big girl so Jeremy decided not to burst her bubble and say anything.<p>

"I thought you guys said you were going to see football." Jenna asked, looking a little disapproving at Kat's outfit.

"We are." Jeremy mumbled and opened the front door to head to the car. "We'll be back later, aunt Jenna."

Inside the car, Katherine saw the "you are crazy" look Jeremy was giving her.

"Stefan likes black." She said as if that was the number one obvious reason in the world.

"Every guy likes black, Kat."

"I know but my eyes will be on him the whole time."

"Whatever."

When they arrived, Jeremy followed Katherine onto the field when she froze in mid step. Out running on the side of the field, was none other than Tyler Lockwood.

"Shit." Katherine whispered. She quickly pushed Jeremy behind the bleachers.

"I'm so fucking stupid, I completely forgot about Tyler!" Katherine hissed.

"I forgot about him too, let's just go."

Katherine grabbed onto his hand. Jeremy looked her, surprised.

"Look…Tyler is going to end up being in the same school with us anyway. He shouldn't have to ruin your chance of making friends with anyone. Knowing Tyler, he's not going to try anything in front of the whole football team. Let's go sit down."

Jeremy followed Katherine around the corner and up the bleachers. They sat on the third row and looked neutral. Jeremy looked down at his watch and saw they had only a couple of minutes before the rest of the players arrived.

Tyler gasped and stopped jogging, almost making the guy behind him run into him.

"Why'd you stop?" Daniel asked, annoyed.

Tyler ignored him. His mind was trying to work again as he stared at Jeremy who was sitting down with Katherine beside him on the bleachers. What was he doing here?

Tyler saw him wave at someone on the field. Tyler looked behind him to see Matt waving back, a small smile on his face. Suddenly a hot wave of anger and jealousy filled his body, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. When he realized what he feeling, he quickly tried to relax himself before anyone noticed in case his eyes had changed color. That's when he noticed the rest of the team then came through the doors along with the coach behind them, who blew his whistle for everyone to get in line. Tyler tried not to look at Jeremy while he finished his second water bottle before heading over to get in line.

Tyler went to stand next to someone else besides Matt this time, trying to keep him away from himself if Matt and Jeremy decided to make contact with each other again. Then it hit him; Matt must have invited him here.

"Alright, ladies, I was not impressed _at all _with last week's performance-what are you guys looking at?" Coach asked, angrily. He turned and saw they were looking at Katherine behind him and Tanner groaned, irritated.

"Petrova!" he yelled.

Katherine looked surprise when Tanner had called her name. "Yes?"

"If you're going to watch, next time, put something a little less revealing! You're ruining their concentration!"

"Yes, Mr. Tanner."

He turned back and glared at us. "Keep your eyes on me or I'll make you all do laps for the next three hours!"

That worked.

Jeremy felt his heart thud in his chest. He could feel Tyler's eyes flicker over at him every few seconds while he tried to ignore him.

"We won the state championship last year and I hope we win it again! But with your guys' impression right now, we have a better chance of Petrova winning it this year for us!"

"Prick." Katherine mumbled.

"Now go out there and prove me wrong!"

The coach blew the whistle, the players jogged to their positions. Jeremy looked over at Katherine who was gazing at Stefan. But it was not a gaze you would see in any girl lusting over a jock. This gaze held something that even Jeremy did not expect to see; longing and admiration. A small, relaxed smile on her face as she watched him play. There could have been a ten point earthquake and she would not have looked away, the boy was sure. Jeremy turned back and looked over at Tyler who was busy blocking one of his team mates. He moved more easily than the others because of his enhanced abilities. He was barely breaking a sweat as the others looked almost like they it had rained on them. Jeremy would probably look like that too if he was out there. The sun was getting pretty hot.

"I'll put up the umbrella." Katherine said, getting up and opening it to place it in the middle and giving us shade.

"Thanks."

"I also brought some water too. Grab one when you feel thirsty."

Katherine went back to gazing at Stefan, crossing one foot over the other, and resting an elbow against her thigh to rest her head on curled fingers. Stefan had looked at her while he had been in line but not the way Katherine would have preferred. There had been no expression on Stefan's face. Poor Kat.

Jeremy saw Matt was a pretty good quarterback. He had good arms for catching the ball, making the game look easy.

Awhile later, the coach blew his whistle.

"You're doing a better job! Take ten!"

All the boys eagerly went over to the iced box of water bottles to get one. Then one player caught Jeremy's eye. He remembered his name was Steven. He was looking right at Jeremy. The jock's expression serious but also curious. Steven started at Jeremy for a moment longer before opening and drowning his water. He looking away when a guy came up to him. Jeremy's attention was drawn away he saw Matt coming up the stairs and over to them. Matt smiled.

"Glad you came. What do you think of our team so far?" he asked, panting.

"I thought you guys were good, so does your coach."

He sighed and drank a long swing from his water. "He's a dick sometimes but then I guess all coaches must be. Been in any sports?"

"No, I'm more of an art person."

"You're into art? That's cool. What do you paint?" he asked, sitting down on the seat in front of him.

"I actually just draw. Really anything that comes to mind at the moment."

"You think you're good at it?"

Jeremy chuckled. "Not to brag, but yes."

Matt laughed too.

Tyler watched as Matt and Jeremy talked and laughed up on the bleachers. He was too busy watching, he didn't realize he began to crush the bottle in his hand until it broke in half.

"Whoa, dude! What was that?"

The wolf may not have control when it wasn't full moon but its emotions still influenced his life. Tyler and his demon did not like to have another person near his mate but the dark haired teen was not use to the idea of doing things with a guy that he has done with half the girls in school.

The whistle blew and everyone jogged to their positions. Tyler heard Matt say his goodbye to Jeremy and run down the stairs.

"Careful, Lockwood, your emotions are showing."

He jerked around to see Steven walking over to stand next to Daniel, a small smirk on the corner of his mouth. What the fuck what that?

"Donovan, move it!" Tanner ordered.

"Sorry, Coach!"

Matt saw Tyler and went to stand next to him. He looked over at Tyler who was looking straight ahead with a serious expression. The teen's whole body seemed tense, uncomfortable like if Matt was rather someone Tyler didn't like. Matt turned away when Coach Tanner began to talk.

"Like I said before you guys did a better job today. For that I decided to let you guys leave a little early."

The team cheered.

"But with this I also expect the same result tomorrow. If the results continue like this, I could cut some time off that day, maybe lessen the practice days to 3 or 2 days. All depends on you guys, sound good?"

Everyone agreed.

"You're dismissed."

Matt saw Tyler begin to walk away. He signaled to Jeremy to wait a moment and caught up to the other male.

"Maybe Tanner isn't such a big ass after all." Matt commented, teasing.

"I guess."

Matt frowned at Tyler's tone. He wouldn't look his way and his tone wasn't friendly. Matt placed himself in front of Tyler to stop him.

"Now what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm tried."

"Don't give me that. Something is up…again."

"Nothing I can't handle."

Tyler tried to move past Matt but he blonde moved with him.

"Come on, Ty, I'm your best friend, remember? You can talk to me."

Tyler finally really looked at him in the face. His features softened and he let out a deep sigh. "Nothing I can't handle. Sorry for being an ass. I'll text you later."

"Aren't you going to say hi to Jeremy? He's a nice guy. I'll be good for him to get to know more people so he won't feel so alone on the first day."

He swallowed hard. "Some other time, I'm late."

"Late for what?"

Just then, Matt saw Steven looking over as he passed them. Steven looked at Matt, giving him a knowing smirk. "Tell the new kid I said hi. You two really seem to connect."

Matt didn't reply and looked over at Tyler. Matt's eyes widened when he saw his best friend's face. Tyler looked ready to kill Steven. Literally.

"Ignore him." Matt said quickly. "He's just messing with us like always."

"One day that guy will get what he deserves." Tyler said, still glaring over at where Steven had gone. Then he turned to him, his angry expression not fading him his features this time. With that, he walked away from Matt.

This time Matt let him. For the first time in his life, he was scared of him.

"You okay?"

Matt turned to Stefan who was walking up to him.

"Fine. He's just having some problems." Matt looked over to see his friend going into the locker room.

Not only did he convince himself but he didn't seem to convince Stefan. He gave Matt and reassuring smile.

"It will pass."

The blonde nodded. "Hopefully. He's been acting weird every time I see him now."

"Give him some time to sort things out. Things always get better."

Matt smiled and looked at Stefan. "Thanks, man."

"What is the name of the guy you were talking to during break?"

They turned to stare over at Jeremy and Katherine on the other side of the field.

"Jeremy Gilbert. He's a cousin of Katherine. He's staying here for the year while his mom sorts things out back home in Florida."

"Is he coming to school here?"

"Yeah."

"The reason why I'm asking is because I was thinking of doing a party this weekend…but then, I don't know if you've noticed, I don't really speak to the other guys on the team either. So I decided this morning to just make a small little group thing on Saturday night and I'm inviting you and Jeremy…"

Stefan trailed off, hesitating. Matt looked at where Stefan was looking and realized he was staring at Katherine.

"You don't like her?"

Stefan blushed and cleared his throat quickly. "It's not that. She's just…I don't know, never mind, if she wants to come she can."

Matt didn't press on the Katherine subject and just nodded. "Count me in and I'm sure Jeremy will like to come too. I'll pass the message on to Katherine."

Stefan turned away from the bleachers and offered his number to Matt in the locker room.

"Sure, I'll meet you there in a moment."

Matt jogged to the bleachers.

"What did Stefan talk to you about, Mattie?" Katherine asked, almost eagerly.

"Oh he invited us to a party he's having on Saturday night. You, Jeremy, and me. Stefan is going to give me his number in the locker rooms. I have to go shower and all that anyway so you guys don't have to wait for me. I know it's hot out here."

"It's no problem, isn't it, Jere? We have shade." Katherine asked, nudging her cousin with her elbow.

"Not at all."

"Okay, if you're sure. I'll try not to take long. We can go get a burger or something at the Grill."

Matt smiled at them and went back down the stairs, heading for the locker room.

"Jeremy?" Katherine asked.

"Yeah?"

"I think I just died and went to heaven."

Jeremy just smiled and shook his head at his cousin's craziness.

"God, if only we could get a small sneak peek into that locker room. We would die happy. And I'm getting Stefan's number from Matt, just watch me."

"We? You mean "you"."

"Oh please, I'm sure you're just thinking about Matt in the shower!"

"No, I'm sure that's what you're doing with Stefan, thank you very much."

"…A little but we're talking about you right now!"

"I don't like Matt that way! Drop the subject already!"

"Mmmmhmmm."

"Don't do that."

"Mmmmhmmm!"

"God you're annoying!"

"Ha!"

Tyler felt bad when he avoided Matt even as he dressed while Matt began to undress for his shower but he couldn't help feeling this way. His feelings for Jeremy were strong and so was the hatred when someone was near the boy.

Tyler saw Matt head for the shower out of the corner of his eye. Tyler decided he would just apologize later as he finished tying on his shoes and packing before leaving. As he headed towards his car, his mind drifted off towards Steven's comment.

_Careful, Lockwood, your emotions are showing._

It was impossible for Steven to know what was really going on. It was very likely he saw how he had torn the water bottle and teased him about it, thinking it was stress. But the way he said it…

He would keep a better eye on Dorlan. If he had that to him, then he must have seen Matt with Jeremy. He had teased Matt with sending his greetings to Jeremy while he knew he would be there to hear…

If Steven figured it out, Jeremy, just like he, was in trouble.

Matt was a little disappointed about Tyler. Something serious was going on with him and Tyler didn't want to talk to him about it. He remembered how cold Tyler was acting towards him as he tried to talk to him once practiced ended and how he looked at him when Steven had made his comment referring to Jeremy. Could it be more trouble was happening between the two boys without him knowing? Or was Tyler angry he was talking to Jeremy? The second option was ridiculous. There was no reason for Tyler to hate Jeremy when he literally had not even said a word to him. But then the way he acted at his house…Jeremy had been there and even Vicky had said that Tyler had been looking at Jeremy before he did his freak out show and practically flew out the door. Well, if it did end up being true, Matt would not side into Tyler's tantrum. Matt would still be there for Jeremy no matter what. Even if Tyler decided to cut him off for good.

Note: Don't forget to review! Sorry if there are still some typos!


	14. Watching

First Time for Everything

Chapter 14

Note: Oh my god, thank you all for your compliments and support! I've got so many ideas in my head now! The drama will be going up! :D A shout out and very big thank you for "The Wonderful Mistique" for her idea on the story about Steven! I won't spoil it but it won't be hard to miss!

Jessy: So funny! I have a surprise for you I'm sure you'll love personally! You'll see! :) Thank you for your review!

Aldarame: Hahaha! Fuck eye! And yes Steven will be an important character for what I plan for him in later chapters! And good to know you like my cruelness! That's just the way I role jk…sometimes but only for stories! Xp

Eternal Sonata: Thank you! And I know I love that couple too! For us too Matt and Jeremy fans, well…you'll see! :) You'll love it!

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><p>Matt had invited Stefan to their hang out at the Grill in the locker room but he had refused, claiming he had other business to do. With this, Katherine depressed and decided to go home, claiming to have a sudden stomach ache. Though when she said her goodbye she paused to give Jeremy a small smirk for only him to see. Jeremy had to the urge to yell in frustration but he'd look like a weirdo so he just rolled his eyes and followed Matt to his car to head onto the restaurant. The ride to the Grill was silent but it didn't feel awkward. They arrived and were seated in a booth.<p>

"I'll have a double cheese burger with bacon and a coke, please." Matt said.

"Do you guys serve sandwiches here?" Jeremy asked the waiter.

"Yeah, we have BLT of turkey, roast beef, ham, and shredded beef and you could add onto it like bacon, a type of cheese, pickles, that sort of thing."

"I'll take the roast beef and can you add swiss cheese and light mayo with jalapenos?"

"Anything to drink with that?"

"Ice water for me, thanks."

The waiter wrote it down. "I'll be back with your orders."

When he left Matt began, "So how are you liking Mystic Falls so far?"

"It's small but I like it. Hope the people at our school are nice like you."

Matt hummed with hesitation. "There are all types of people there like everyone else. I'll show you the people you can trust if you'd like."

"That'd be cool, thanks."

Matt smiled and played with the edges of a napkin. "Do you miss your home back in Florida?"

"…Sometimes. Mostly my mom because she's alone and I wish I could help but they won't hire me for a job yet."

"What about your dad?"

"Mom says he lives somewhere in Washington. I've never met him in person though. I just know how he looks like by pictures."

Matt's eyes saddened. "I'm so sorry. My father left when I was five and Vicky was four. I guess he just didn't want to be with us anymore. My mother is busy chasing men around so she isn't at home a lot. The last time I saw her was last year for a few days before she left again. So I have to have a job so I can keep food in the fridge and pay the bills-oh, sorry I'm talking too much."

"No, no it's fine. It's good to talk about things. It makes you feel better after. I'm sure it must be hard suddenly being the adult."

Matt stared at Jeremy for a moment before nodding. "Not hard just stressful. I go back to work tomorrow after practice."

"I know how you feel. If it helps any, know that you have a place at Jenna's house. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help you and your sister out. And so am I."

Matt gazed at Jeremy. "You're a good person. I don't see how anybody can hate you."

Jeremy snorted. "Tell that to the people back home. But I don't care. I have a best friend anyway."

* * *

><p>Matt felt himself frown at that. "A best friend?"<p>

"Yeah, his name is Kyle. Such an idiot but he's been with me when no one else would."

Matt swallowed when he felt jealous at this suddenly.

"Something wrong?"

Matt looked up at him. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment. "Sorry, I was thinking about something-never mind, I must be falling asleep."

"Oh, we could leave if you want."

"No, I'm fine. I don't mind hanging out with you."

Crap.

Jeremy stared at him, trying to figure him out. "You sure? I don't mind."

He nodded. "I'm good."

"If you say so…"

The orders came in and the two boys ate in silence. While Matt ate he tried to think about his behavior when he was around Jeremy. He's had a few crushes here and there for girls but he's never gotten into a relationship before. Tyler had always tried to get him into getting laid or at least dating a girl but he had always refused since he felt more responsibility for his house and sister ever since his mom left. He had gone into a date once but it never went further than that day when she sensed he was not interested enough.

After their meals, each paid for their own. Matt remembered there was a pool table in the place and an idea popped into his head.

"Wanna play pool?"

"They have a table here?"

"Yeah, follow me."

They headed for the table and Matt was grateful no one else was there.

"Don't know how to play though. I've seen it in some movies but…"

"I'll teach you. It's not hard. Here."

Matt passed a stick and gave it to the other boy. "Now watch."

The blonde leaned his upper body and hand into position and hit the ball.

* * *

><p>Jeremy didn't know what he was doing but he felt his gaze slid down to Matt's back and butt and up over his board shoulders.<p>

"Your turn."

Jeremy jerked his gaze away from his friend's body and acted like nothing happened. He was relieved when Matt hadn't seemed to noticed. Jeremy tried to copy Matt's posture.

"Cross your finger over the stick like this."

Matt reached over and gently pulled his finger like he had indicated. Jeremy looked over at his expression. Matt glance down at him too. They stayed that way for a few seconds before Matt quickly leaned back.

"Um, go ahead."

Jeremy took shit shot and the ball went into the hole.

"Nice job."

"Thought I was going to suck?"

Matt chuckled. "Kind of."

Jeremy gave Matt a teasing hit to the arm.

The rest of the game went by easily. Jeremy saw how Matt's lids were closing by themselves as he waited for Jeremy to take his last turn.

"Dude, you're falling asleep standing."

"Hm?"

"Alright let's go. I'll drive."

"How will you get home?"

Jeremy took his stick away and placed them on top of the pool table.

"I'll walk."

Matt shook his head. "No, I'll just drive slow."

"You can barely keep your eyes open."

"I won't let you walk home. It's dark outside already."

"I'll call Katherine at your house."

"…Fine."

At this point Matt looked like had taken a drink too many.

"Lean on me." Jeremy said, sighing.

"Mmhm."

Eyes were on them as Jeremy helped Matt walk out of the Grill and to his car. The younger boy placed Matt in the passenger seat and closed the door, crossing over to the other side and getting in.

"Give me the keys."

Matt fumbled in his front pocket and gave them to Jeremy. He leaned his back against the seat as Jeremy turned on the engine. He hoped there would be no cops around to pull him over. He did not get his permit back home yet. Jeremy looked over at Matt who was probably fast asleep. He would not be of help to the younger boy in finding the house but he didn't want to wake the blonde boy.

Jeremy sighed and backed the car into the road before turning the car and driving, realizing he was going to have to drive around until he found Matt's house.

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><p>Steven Dorlan sat comfortably in the driver's seat of his car, watching as Matt's car disappeared down the road. He then took out his cellphone and dialed a familiar number.<p>

"Klaus, this is Steven. I found a way you can repay me that favor."

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><p>Jeremy helped Matt into his house.<p>

"Matt, that you?"

"And me." Jeremy called.

"Jeremy!" she cried, happily from upstairs. Matt walked over to the couch and plopped down. Vicky came down a moment later and hugged Jeremy.

"You coming to hang out again?"

"Uh, no, your brother wouldn't last two seconds of it." Jeremy joked. Vicky looked over at her brother on the couch who was trying to keep his eyes open.

"Poor, Mattie, he's looks like a zombie!"

"Thanks, Vic."

"I'll bring your uniform bag from the car." Jeremy said.

"No, no, it's okay. I'll get it early morning to wash it. Thank you, Jeremy."

Matt sat up straight and gave the brunet a tired grin. "You've helped me enough tonight."

"How you getting home?" Vicky asked Jeremy.

"I'm going to call Katherine. Hopefully she doesn't get pissed."

Jeremy took out his cell and called. No answer.

"Kat, I'm at Matt's house we just got back. Can you please pick me up when you get this? Thanks. Bye."

"No answer?" Matt asked.

"Nope."

"Too bad you get to stay here and party with me then since Matt can't even stand to save his life right now." Vicky said, hugging Jeremy. "But first I'll be right back."

"You don't have to stay here with her." Matt said.

Jeremy chuckled. "I know, she's playing around…I think."

Jeremy walked over and sat down on the couch, waiting for the cellphone to ring.

Jeremy felt eyes on him and glanced over at him. Matt smiled and looked at the blank TV screen.

"I wanted to thank you again for helping me get home. Felt like an old man for the moment but who cares? It was funny."

Jeremy smiled. "That's what you get for not eating your vegetables."

Matt mocked a hurt look. "For you information, I do. So shut up."

Jeremy rolled his eyes, an amused smile on his face. "If you say so."

There was a short pause of silence before Matt spoke again.

"Sorry if I sound lame but I don't want you to feel all weird on your first day. I want you to meet people to make your school experience here a good one. I'm glad Stefan decided to invite us to his house on Saturday. I was hoping to first get my best friend, Tyler, to meet you better but…he's still acting weird."

Jeremy shrugged. "Everyone has troubles. It's okay. But thank you for trying to help me."

"Anytime."

The two boys met gazes. Jeremy suddenly felt shy.

"Come, on Jeremy, he's not your—what is he doing…?" Jeremy thought as Matt slowly began to lean towards him.

Before Matt's faced reached Jeremy's, the younger boy's beeped twice, causing them to jump and for Matt to quickly jerk away. The blonde's face turned red as a tomato and looked away from Jeremy.

"Oh my god—I'm sorry! So, so sorry! I don't know why I did that!"

"I-It's fine. It's been a long day."

"I'm so sorry, Jeremy. It's okay if you hate me."

"I don't hate you, Matt. You're a very nice guy! I don't see how anybody can hate you either! I won't tell anybody about this and if it makes you feel better, I won't tell anybody about this."

Jeremy felt confused by his words. Did he like the kiss? Well, he didn't not like it but…great, now he can't think straight about this.

Matt looked over at Jeremy to see if he was serious. "You're not disgusted?"

Jeremy turned to check if Vicky might be around. Satisfied, Jeremy turned back and shook his head.

"At all?" Matt asked like if he was crazy.

Jeremy didn't say anything. Matt stared at him confused then his face began to show his realization. "Oh."

"Yeah."

More silence. Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it. Must be Katherine." Jeremy said.

And it was.

"Hey, ready to go?" she asked. "Hey, Matt."

"Hey."

Jeremy turned to look over at Matt. "So will you be okay?"

"Perfect, thanks."

Jeremy didn't know if he was referring to their almost kiss aftermath or not but he took the answer and just nodded.

"Alright, thanks for everything. Say goodnight to your sister for me."

"I will."

Jeremy waved and went out the door, closing it behind him.

"How was your hang out?" Katherine asked, casually.

"Nothing big. Just guy stuff."

Yeah, cause kissing other guys is the guy's favorite thing to do…duh. And now Matt knew he was gay. Would that affect their friendship? What did the kiss mean to him? Ugh, son of a bitch, this is getting crazy! Thank god, his mom didn't know about all this. She would have a heart attack.

* * *

><p>"You, sir, are a big idiot." Vicky said as soon as they left.<p>

Matt turned around, shocked and a little panicked. "You saw?"

"And heard. God, Matt, why should have just ignored the phone! Why are you guys so thick headed? You obviously like Jeremy! But awww it's so awesome to know your brother is gay!"

"Oh, no, no no, I'm not-

"Don't you dare deny it! I saw you!"

Vicky came down the stairs and over to sit down next to her brother on the couch to pound some sense into his head. "Listen to me, Matt Donovan, you can't deny that you're gay! Okay fine you're not gay but you can't deny that you like guys…well, I don't know if other guys do but as far I could see, you like Jeremy."

Vicky paused and smiled. "Though I wouldn't blame you. He's smart, sensitive, sweet, and caring. Any other guy would be using you as a punching bag for getting near them like that. Wait, so do you like Tyler?"

Matt stood up, any signs of tiredness all gone from his system. "What kind of question is that?"

"The simple one. Answer it; do you like Tyler the same way you like Jeremy? Have you ever tried to kiss him? Are you still even a virgin?" Vicky asked beginning to laugh.

Matt glared at her. "Not answering that last one but no, I don't like Tyler that way and never tried to kiss him! I don't know why I did what I did with Jeremy."

"So you've never liked any other guy before? Not ever like even checked out a guy's butt on your team?"

"No!"

Vicky smiled, suddenly excited and stood up, almost looking like a little kid at her birthday party. "Do you think it could be…? Oh my god! This is incredible!"

"If you're thinking about the "l" world, you're insane…like I probably am!"

Vicky smirked and went over to her brother. She placed an arm around his shoulders. "You are not insane. Well, a little, but the good kind of insane. I know you like Jeremy and that's why you did that. You can't blame alcohol cause I can't smell anything on you, unless you got high?"

"No, Vic but-

"Then it's official! You. like. Jeremy."

Matt frowned down at the floor and pinched his nose. "I've never been with a girl, Vic, but that doesn't mean I'm…gay. I like girls but…Jeremy…"

Vicky stared at Matt in amusement at his confused emotions.

"But you just might feel something for Jeremy." She finished.

Matt didn't protest. He gave her a pained expression. "Is this wrong?"

Vicky's smirk faded and suddenly felt bad for her brother. She hesitated at his question. "I'm not in your shoes Matt. But if I was, I'd say no. If Jeremy makes you feel happier than you have been in years, then I'd say fate is telling you something…god, I sound like a mother right now but whatever. It this helps you get an answer then my work as a good sister is done. Now you can't ever say I have never helped you."

"I'm gonna go to bed. Night, Vic." He said, suddenly feeling the exhaustion hit him again.

Vicky watched her brother head for the stairs. Whatever happened from now on, she just hoped in the end her brother would end up happy.

Mm. Who knew? She did have a heart somewhere.

* * *

><p>Jeremy didn't know why he didn't tell Katherine about the incident at Matt's house. Jeremy couldn't help but wonder if he was gay or bi. The boy didn't know if Matt had dated any girls before but he certainly seemed to know what he was doing to decide to try to kiss him. But if it had happened what would he have done? Let it happen and kiss Matt back? Or push Matt away? Jeremy sighed and stood up from the bed to cross over to his desk and grab pull it out from the charger. He plugged in his ear phones and turned his music up before going back to bed.<p>

_It doesn't hurt me. You wanna feel how it feels?You wanna know, know that it doesn't hurt me?You wanna hear about the deal I'm making? You be running up that hill. You and me be running up that hill. _

_And if I only could, make a deal with God and get him to swap our places. Be running up that road, be running up that hill, be running that building. If I only could, oh…_

* * *

><p>Tyler watched Jeremy from the window as he got into bed. The boy did not have a clue he was there which was more than fine by him. No one knew he was there but the tree that was holding him from falling onto the ground. Tyler didn't even know why he came. He hated the boy for making him feel this way. Well, he wished he could anyway but something won't let him. His thoughts were all about Jeremy now. He took out his old art sketch book when he got home from practice and began doodling randomness to calm his nerves down. It took a moment for him to realize he had begun to sketch the school belchers. The same ones Jeremy had been sitting in to watch them practice. He had the sudden urge to know what Jeremy thought of him while he was out there, if he was good at his defense position, and if Jeremy thought he was just as good looking as Tyler knew Jeremy was as he continued watch the boy on the bed. But the fear of his old sexuality was holding him back. He was scared of liking him. Jeremy, a male. Someone entirely forbidden yet simply someone he could have whether Jeremy liked him or not. Such an exciting yet fearful thought.<p>

* * *

><p>Katherine knew she was having another one of those dreams. Nightmares, as she preferred to call them. She was standing in the middle of the forest, in a clearing where she was shocked to see her grandmother.<p>

"Be careful, Katherine, not everyone is who they seem."

"Who are talking about? Tyler?"

Her grandmother shook her head and pointed across from the rows of trees.

"They're coming."

Katherine then woke up. She sat up slowly and ran her fingers through her head in frustration. Another dream, another problem.

Note: Don't forget to review! =^^=

My apologies if there are still any typos in there!


	15. Yes or no

First Time for Everything

Chapter 15

Note: Second update in one day! Yup I did it! XD Apologies for any typos!

Since Matt didn't technically invite him to all football practices, Jeremy didn't go to it the next day. Jeremy told himself it would also be a good idea for Matt to think about last night without getting him distracted with his presence. After his morning routine and breakfast, Katherine gave him a look that told him something new had come up and wanted to talk. The two of them thanked their aunt for the breakfast before excusing themselves upstairs. Katherine closed the door to her room and sighed.

"New dream last night."

Jeremy's eyes widened. "Was is about Tyler or Matt?"

"No." Katherine sat down on the bed next to him and continued. "my grandmother was there. She's a witch too and she told me to be careful because people aren't what they seem. She then pointed into the woods and said that "they" were coming."

"Who's they?"

"I'd like to know that too."

"Whoever "they" are must be dangerous if your grandmother had to come into your dream to warn you."

"I'm going to call her."

Katherine grabbed her phone and dialed her grandmother's number but no one answered. She left a message.

"Hey, it's Katherine. I don't know you had to do something with a dream I had last night but you tried to warn me about some people and it's really important to me to know who those people are. If you know something I need to know, please. Thanks, love you."

She almost winced at the love you part but she needed to sound nice since almost all her life she wasn't ever.

"One thing for sure, they're coming here." Katherine said.

Jeremy nodded. "But nothing about Tyler or Matt at all right?"

"I asked her if she was referring to Tyler when she told me to be careful with people who aren't who they seem but she shook her head and told me some people are coming. Nothing about Matt though."

Jeremy laid down on the bed. "Hopefully it's not more werewolves."

"I don't care what they are as long as they don't hurt you or Tyler."

"Why would they go after Tyler? Why would you care anyway? I thought Tyler was our enemy in the first place."

"He is but…"

"But?"

"I did some more reading yesterday and-

"Well that can't be good."

"-And it says that if a werewolf dies, so does the mate and vice versa." Katherine finished quickly, ready for Jeremy's reaction.

Jeremy sat up with his eyes closed. "Okay, I'm going try not to have a heart attack."

"Sorry for the bad news. That's why we have to keep you both same even though we don't Tyler."

Jeremy just nodded. What could he say?

* * *

><p>Tyler was relieved but disappointed Jeremy had not come to the practice. The team had satisfied the coach again and let us off an hour early. After showers and changing, Tyler decided it was time to talk to Matt.<p>

"I'm sorry for acting like a douche yesterday."

"I'll forgive you once you stop acting like one every time I try to talk to you."

"That's fine I just wanted to say I'm sorry. You know you're my best friend."

Matt nodded. "And you're mine but like I said, I need to see that you can act like a nice person around me and others. What-never mind we'll talk outside."

They packed everything into their bags and walked across the field, towards the parking lot. Once they were away from the others, Matt continued.

"Do you have something against Jeremy?"

"No."

"Then you wouldn't disagree in meeting him, right?"

"…I don't know. Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"I have a lot of things to do."

"Like what?"

"Personal things."

Matt shook his head. "If you don't like him you better tell me why at least. You didn't even say hi when you saw him at my house!"

Tyler didn't say anything.

Matt had texted Stefan before he left for early lap running if he could invite Tyler. Stefan had said he didn't mind just as long as he got along with everyone. Now he wasn't so sure if he should invite Tyler at all.

"So if we wanted to hang out with Jeremy, you wouldn't go?"

Tyler's expression hardened. "What's with you and all these Jeremy questions?"

Matt got annoyed and stopped before they had to part ways. "Because I asked Stefan if I could invite you to his party Saturday night! But right now you're telling me you're not going to get along with Jeremy so I'm guessing you don't want to come."

Tyler stopped and turned around and stared at Matt. Matt glared at him, waiting for his response.

"Who else will be there besides him, you and, Stefan?"

"Katherine as far as I know."

Matt saw Tyler think about this real deep. Matt rolled his eyes. What was there to think about?

"Ty, you're not choosing your future wife here. Just say yes or no!"

"Fine."

Even that threw Matt off a little. He had kind of expected for him to say no.

"Really?"

Tyler nodded like he had no other option. "I'll behave."

* * *

><p>Tyler turned and walked away, mumbling for only him to hear. "Or at least I'll try."<p>

Tyler had accepted because he was willing to try to get close to Jeremy to learn about him. If there was no other option but to give into him or he'd go crazy like his Uncle said, he could at least ease into the situation slowly. He had a whole year to do this anyway.

* * *

><p>Steven had overheard Stefan talking to Matt the other day about his party while he showered. He could have cared less but he wondered if Tyler and Jeremy would be in the same place at the same time. How interesting would it be to watch his most hated person in the world struggle with someone so innocent. But then he guessed that what you get when you're a werewolf.<p>

Now Tyler had apologized to Matt about his rude behavior the other day. Ahh yes Tyler was jealous too. He had hated Matt the moment he had come near his mate, making him smile and laugh while he wished he was the one up there, even if Tyler admitted to himself or not.

While he placed on his shirt and jeans, his cellphone began to ring. He took it out of his locker and looked at the screen. It was a text from Chelsea. He smirked. How that dirty bitch always came back for more was amusing to him. He had broken up with her anyway when he got the text message from her cellphone, even when he had compelled her to confirm if it was true or not. Though he still lets Chelsea come to his house every day to fuck when his father wasn't home. Before she left, he would bite her to fulfill his hunger, loving the taste of the sweet blood roll down his throat like honey, the energy it held recharging his body. One of these days he might change her for another. Chelsea was starting to get boring. Maybe Jeremy would like to be his volunteer? He almost laughed out loud at that.

* * *

><p>Matt entered the Grill, ready for work, and texted Stefan about Tyler's show on Saturday.<p>

**As long as he behaves. **

_He will._

**Hey one thing. I've been thinking about changing the location for the party. My house is kind of boring so idk if you knew another place we can go to?**

Matt thought about this then remembered Tyler's swimming hole. Matt was hesitant. He didn't want to press his luck but decided to go for it.

_Get back to you on that in a moment. I know a place. _

**Ok. Where?**

_One moment. _

Matt then texted Tyler.

_Swimming hole for Saturday, please? Stefan thinks his house is going to be boring._

Tyler took a few minutes to answer.

**Will there be beer?**

Matt rolled his eyes and asked Stefan.

_Yes. _

**You got my answer too. What time?**

_Stefan said five so the sun won't be so hot. _

**Alright. Have to go, I'll see you tomorrow.**

_Yeah. Later. _

Matt went back to Stefan.

_Swimming hole 5 Saturday it is._

**Thanks man I owe you one and to Tyler.**

_No problem. I'll see you later._

**Thanks again. Bye. **

Matt proceeded to pass the note to Jeremy.

**Thanks for informing :) I'll pass it on. **

_Need to borrow a suit? _

**No I got mine, thanks. **

Matt bit his lip and looked at the stairs and remembered Vicky's talk with him last night. She was right and couldn't deny it. He felt a liking for Jeremy and by the way he's been acting protectively from Tyler, he'd say it was a pretty strong one. He could already imagine her laughter when he tells her he would be going swimming and giving her comment about his excitement for seeing Jeremy half naked. Matt would invite her but Tyler would be there and the last thing he needed was his sister drunk and ending up making out with his best friend.

_Have to start work. I'll text you tomorrow. _

**Alright. Good luck and try not to flirt too much with the customers. **

Matt paused and re-read Jeremy's comment. Then he remembered Jeremy tell him he would forget the incident from last night if it made him feel better.

_I don't flirt. At least, only with people I don't find interesting anyway._

**See any interesting people in there? Lol**

_Depends if they can draw. Later. _

Note: Oh god sorry if that last thing was cheesy! I could not think of making it differently but I hope you guys still like the chappie anyway! Don't forget to review! Next chapter will start on Saturday morning! Woooo!


	16. Eager

First Time for Everything

Chapter 16

Note: Thank you everyone for your compliments and support! By the way guys, Steven is not in love with Jeremy but doesn't mind doing it with guys. You'll see what I mean soon Xp And if you got confused or anything, Steven is a vampire not a werewolf.

Aldarame: Thankies! And wouldn't want to be there at the swimming hole with those cuties right? ;)

Jessy: I'm glad! Always happy to know I can make people happy! Oh don't worry about that…hehe! You'll see! :D PS. I hope the top note helped and if you have any more questions along the way let me know!

* * *

><p>After Matt's teasing little "depends if they draw" text message, Jeremy seemed to receive texts from Matt every day after the blonde got out from practice and was on the way to work. Matt hadn't said any more messages like the one he had sent on Tuesday but he could tell Matt decided he didn't want to let go of the Monday night incident. But Jeremy told himself he wouldn't tell Katherine until Matt decided to do something that proved the older male was into him <em>that <em>way. It was now Saturday morning was Katherine was busy picking out her preferred two-piece bikini in her room to catch Stefan's eye. Jeremy had his blue colored trunks ready on his bed to put on later.

"Breakfast!" Jenna called from downstairs.

"Okay!" Jeremy called back.

"One moment, I'm still choosing!"

"You can finish picking it out after! It's not life or death!" Jenna protested in disbelief.

Jeremy went down the stairs with Katherine following a moment later. They filled their plates. Jeremy had to admit the French toast smelled good.

"Being a guy, Jeremy, would you like to see a girl in emerald green or turquoise?" Katherine asked him.

Jeremy raised an eyebrow at her. Jenna smiled at him, curious to see his response. He placed syrup on his French toast and cut a piece, placing it into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully.

"Think of someone you truly like." She hinted. Jeremy frowned at her knowing she was referring to Matt.

"Those colors don't go with everybody."

Katherine smirked. "So? What color?"

"Up to you but if you want to know my opinion, go with emerald."

"I was thinking so too."

Jeremy rolled his eyes. Jenna and Katherine then got into a talk about clothes and girlie things while Jeremy finished his breakfast.

Once back upstairs, Katherine placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're going to be okay with Tyler there?"

Jeremy sighed. "Matt was the one who invited him. I can't say anything. They're best friends."

"Yes, you can. If you don't feel comfortable-

"I can't keep avoiding him, Kat." Jeremy paused and looked downstairs, remembering Aunt Jenna. He motioned her into his room and closed the door before he continued. "You said that Tyler and I need each other right?"

"Yeah…"

"What would happen if we ignore each other?"

"Well since you haven't talked to him you're not going to effected but Tyler will have to give in to his feelings as time goes by. It gets difficult for him."

"And if he's strong enough and I leave after the year is over?"

Katherine gave me a serious stare. "You sure you wanna know that?"

No, he didn't. Jeremy pressed his lips together and shook his head.

"I don't care if he talks to me or not. If this all affects him or not, he hasn't been friendly to me at all so he can go crazy for all I care. I'm going because I want to have fun."

Jeremy looked over at his alarm clock which read one twenty five in the afternoon.

Suddenly his phone began to beep. Jeremy grabbed the phone from his bed and looked at the screen. **Katherine knows how to get at the swimming hole right? It's on Tyler's property but idk if she's been there before. **

"Matt, huh? And yes tell him I know how to get there."

Jeremy glared at her. "Don't start."

Katherine shrugged. "Fine, Mr. Grumpy. I'll be in my room."

_She said yes. _

**Cool. I'll see you later…**

_Ok. _

Jeremy felt bad. Even though he wasn't 100% sure if Matt liked him more than just a friend, he could feel something going on with the way he writes to him. He doesn't text the same way back but he wasn't sure how he felt about the older Matt's personality reminded him a lot like his own though and felt he could connect with him but he just didn't know…maybe it was because he's never actually been with a boy because he's never actually known a guy who likes boys that way too. If Matt wanted to go to the next level (and he used the "if" with intensity), what would he do? He wouldn't want to lose the only real friend he has here in Mystic Falls. Yeah he had Kyle, but now that he thought about it, the idiot hasn't even texted him in a while.

* * *

><p>An hour before five, she rubbed on sunscreen and place on her bikini. She placed on a spaghetti strap over her top and walked down the hall to Jeremy's bedroom with the bottle of sunscreen in hand. She knocked on the door and waited for him to open. A moment later he came, wearing his blue trunks.<p>

"Matt will defiantly like those." She said, smiling and handing him the bottle.

Jeremy ignored her remark. "Thanks for bringing this."

"Mmhm."

She stepped inside as he began applying the beige liquid onto his skin on his upper body.

"Help me with my back, please?" he asked.

"If you help me with mine."

"Sure."

Katherine walked over and took the bottle, squiring a good amount onto her hands and rubbing it all over his back. "Wouldn't want for you to peel like a banana tomorrow."

He chuckled.

"Done. It will start absorbing."

"Thanks."

Katherine gave her cousin the bottle and moved her long hair to the side.

A moment later he was done.

"Thank you. You going like that?" she asked.

"No, I have a white t-shirt."

"Don't be stupid! You're not swimming with a shirt on! You need to show off that body!"

"I want to be comfortable!"

"Ugh. Let's flip a coin on it."

He hesitated. "Three rounds."

"No. Give me a coin."

Jeremy glared at her before he went over to desk and get a coin from his wallet.

"Head or tails?" she asked.

"Heads."

She flipped it into the air and caught it, flipping it quickly over with her hand and slamming it gently onto her palm. She took her hand off and smiled.

"Not fair." Jeremy mumbled.

"It was very fair. You can put it on while we go but you take it off before you touch that water or else you'll feel my wrath."

"Will you turn green?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yes. Then I will kill you and pay the consequences. It's time to go!"

"Okay."

Katherine left to pack her things quickly in her beach bag, her heart thudding quickly in excitement at the thought of seeing Stefan. She grabbed the handles and took it with her to look at herself in the mirror one more time for any imperfections. Satisfied, she walked out and went down the stairs.

"We're going, Aunt Jenna!" she called.

"You and Jeremy got everything?"

"Yeah."

Jenna came over from the living room and hugged her neice. Jeremy came down with his backpack. "I have the sunscreen just in case."

Jenna hugged Jeremy as well. "You two behave and don't go to the deep unless the others are watching."

They nodded and went out to the car.

"So excited!" Katherine said, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel as she turned the engine on.

"Yup."

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at the swimming hole.

"A lake?" Jeremy asked, surprised.

"Expecting something else?"

"I thought maybe like a pool or something. I don't know."

"Welcome to Virginia, cousin."

Jeremy smirked and got out of the car with his bag. Jeremy looked up at the sky and sun was barely going down. The sun felt warm but not hot enough to feel like you're being cooked in an oven.

"Jeremy! Katherine!"

Jeremy turned to see Matt running up the small slope over to them…well, him.

Matt's soaked form told him he had already been in the water. He had only his swim trunks on, giving him a nice view of his muscular chest and arms.

"Keep your eyes on his face, keep your eyes on his face." He told himself. Jeremy then smiled. "See you're already having fun."

"Not until you came."

Oh god.

"Thanks…"

"Come on, let's get you guys settled." Matt motioned from Jeremy to follow. Jeremy looked over at Katherine and saw she was staring over at him, smirk perfectly wide upon her face. Jeremy mouthed the word "don't" at her in warning. She placed her hands together, mocking a look of innocence before she followed. Down the slope we saw Vicky and Stefan who was cooking some steak and tortillas onto the grill but on sign of Tyler. Yet.

"Vicky wanted to come. I told her to stay away from the alcohol." Matt said, shaking his head in his sister's direction. Vicky was swimming in the lake but paused when she saw us. She smiled but then it faded. I looked in her direction and realized she was looking at Katherine. His cousin had a similar expression of tension on her face as she stared at Vicky but didn't say anything. The look immediately left when Kat saw Stefan. Jeremy greeted Stefan. Stefan greeted back warmly and tensed when he saw Katherine.

"Hi." He said.

"Hey."

Katherine began to flirting pose while Stefan looked uncomfortable as she talked.

"You can put your things wherever you want." Matt informed.

Jeremy chose and spot and touched his back to make sure the sunscreen had been absorbed under his shirt.

"You going to swim with a shirt on?" Matt asked curiously.

Jeremy glanced over at Katherine who was still talking to Stefan. He was tempted to go with his shirt but then he didn't want to get it from her.

"No. I'll take it off." He replied.

Jeremy felt awkward taking his shirt off in front of Matt but he'd look stupid if he asked for him to turn around or something.

"Yeah, take it off, Jere!" Vicky cheered from the water.

Matt sent a look in her direction. Once off, Jeremy didn't look at Matt, nervous about the boy's reaction. "Let's go then."

The two boys raced down to the water and Matt jumped in. Jeremy stopped to test it out and was shocked to see it was warm.

"Come on!" Matt insisted.

Jeremy stuck his tongue out at him childishly and jumped in.

"Stefan! Turn on the music!" Vicky called.

Stefan sent her thumbs up and went over to the stereo to turn it on and play his Ipod.

* * *

><p>Stefan went back to the grill, not looking at her. Katherine felt her heart clench.<p>

"So do you know what classes you're taking this year?" she asked, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

He shook his head. "No, my counselor hasn't called me yet."

"Oh."

She glanced over at Jeremy to see him laughing as he splashed Matt and Vicky with water. She smiled, amused, when she saw Jeremy had taken off his shirt. She turned back to Stefan who was piling the done steak into a plate.

"Anyone want to eat? They're done!" he called.

"I'm starving!" Vicky called swimming towards shore.

Katherine's eyes narrowed when she saw Stefan smile at Vicky as she got out of the water and jogged over to him. He gave her a plate and placed one on her plate and a few tortillas.

"The sauces are here. Pick which one you like."

"Thank you, Stefan, you're always so nice to me."

Katherine stared at her when she smiled at him and glanced at her. She has seen that type of smile more times than she can count. The smile of triumph.

It was war.

She didn't have an appetite anymore as watched Vicky and Stefan talk as they ate the desert Stefan made: raspberry cheesecake. Katherine did decide to try that and it tasted beyond amazing. Better than the cheesecakes she even had with her so called "friends" in Beverly Hills. But she didn't understand how Stefan could pay attention to Vicky and not her. What did that girl have that she didn't? It defiantly wasn't money. Okay that was mean, she had to admit. But what else could it be? Vicky has had the same black bikini for years while hers was brand new that had mom paid five hundred dollars for. She wouldn't be surprised if Vicky's came from Wal-Mart from a clearance rack! Ugh, this was injustice.

Katherine glanced over at Tyler who sat alone and silently while staring at his camp fire. She glanced over at her cousin who was listening while Matt talked but could tell he was feeling a little uncomfortable by Tyler's presence. When Tyler had arrived, Jeremy had said a quiet hi while Tyler had nodded his greeting. Tyler was not making himself a good imagine for Jeremy. If he and her cousin had to stay with one another in the end, then Tyler had to stop acting like a grumpy, anti-social.

Before she knew what she was doing, she stood up and walked over to Tyler to sit beside him. He looked at her, surprised but didn't say anything.

"Sup?" she asked casually.

He shrugged. "Nothing."

"Not feeling like yourself?"

"What do you say that?"

"Because you're not talking to anybody and you're drowning yourself in nasty smelling beer."

"You weren't talking to anyone."

"But at least I wasn't drinking."

He sighed. "Alright what are you trying to do?"

"Nothing, just trying to figure out why you are being so mean all the time now."

"I'm not."

He gulped down swallow of beer.

"Hey, I need to use the restroom, be right back." She heard Matt say. She turned to look as he stood up and headed for the woods, leaving Jeremy alone for the moment.

"Hey Jere, come here!" she called. He looked at her in question when he looked back and forth between Tyler and her. She waved him over. He hesitated hard but gave in and came over slowly.

"Why don't you and Tyler get to know each other better, you know? Talk about boy stuff."

Tyler looked at her like if he wanted to murder her but she didn't care. She stood up and pushed Jeremy to her spot.

Jeremy sat down but kept looking at her like he wanted to murder her too. She waved at them and left, heading over to where Matt had gone.

* * *

><p>Jeremy swallowed hard. What if Tyler didn't want to talk? Jeremy slowly glanced his way. The other way was staring at his empty bottle, almost seeming to clutch at it for his life.<p>

"Hi." He started lamely.

"Hey."

"Matt's a good guy. Lucky you're friends with him."

"You're his friend too."

"Yeah."

Silence. Jeremy sighed mentally. This was not working.

"How did you two meet?" he asked.

"Kindergarten."

"Cool. My best friend and I also met there too."

"How nice."

"Yeah."

Moments passed and Katherine would not return. He wanted to tell her this was not working. For whatever reason, Tyler didn't like him and doesn't want to talk to him. That's when the teen decided he had enough and confronted the situation.

"Do you have a problem with me?"

Tyler's eyes widened. "What?"

"You heard me. Do you hate me or something? I didn't do anything to you."

Tyler stared at me. Jeremy knew he didn't expect to be actually confronted.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing has to do with you."

"You don't greet back to me with words, and you don't even want to talk to me. What did I do wrong in your opinion?"

Tyler glared. "Just because I'm not with a smile on my damn face all the time, doesn't mean I hate you."

"Well from what you tell me, you're nothing but a selfish bastard! I can't believe Matt even thinks of you as his best friend, you're nothing like him!"

Tyler threw the bottle away and grabbed onto him, pinning him onto the floor.

"Oh my god!" Vicky yelled.

Tyler glared right down at him, grabbing onto his upper arms to hold him down.

"You don't know shit about me! Ever since you came, Matt fucking doesn't stop talking about you at practice!"

"Tyler, get off him!" Stefan demanded and tried to pry him off but Tyler pushed him off.

"You're jealous because Matt's paying more attention to me? That only adds that you're an immature cry baby!" Jeremy hissed into his face, struggling to get Tyler off.

"Get off!" Matt yelled.

This time it was Matt and Stefan who, together, managed to pry him off of Jeremy. Katherine quickly got to him.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" she asked, checking over him for any wounds.

Jeremy got up, not replying and glared at Tyler.

"You shouldn't have come here! I hate you!" Tyler yelled as he got held back by Matt and Stefan.

"Let's get him home!" Matt told Stefan.

Jeremy watched, wide eyed as the two males dragged the furious jock from the area. Matt looked at him with deep apology before they pushed Tyler into the backseat and took off in Stefan's car.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Jere. I thought-

Jeremy shook Katherine's hand away and mumbled he wanted to go home. Vicky watched with tearful eyes as Jeremy walked towards the car.

"Is he going to be okay?" she asked.

* * *

><p>Katherine shrugged and went over to gather all their things. She glanced over at Vicky who was watching her.<p>

"I'll take you home."

"You…don't have to. Matt left his car."

"I want to. I can't leave you here alone."

Vicky looked at her with such surprise but also gratefulness. "Thanks."

Katherine just nodded and the two girls walked side by side silently to the car.

* * *

><p>Jeremy should not feel hurt. Tyler was an asshole with no heart. Jeremy never cared about what other people thought, why should he start now? But Tyler's words had stung him. Hard. Like if it had been Matt who had said them instead. One thing he remembered though, Tyler's eyes had been full of lust and resistance when he had looked down at his face. Tyler may had blamed him for all the struggle he was having, but one thing he realized, he was not jealous of him. He was jealous of Matt.<p>

* * *

><p>Tyler stared down at his hands as Stefan parked in front of his house.<p>

"Wait here." Matt said seriously.

Here we go.

Matt got out and opened the backseat, pulling him out roughly.

"There is no fucking excuse for what you did! No. fucking. excuse!"

Tyler stared down at the ground behind Matt silently. The blonde only cursed rarely and it was shocking that he was saying it to his face.

"I am so disappointed in you right now. This is too low and I will not let you treat him this way. Our…friendship ends here."

That got Tyler to look up at him with utter shock. "What?"

Matt got a pained look on his face. "We are not friends anymore. You have gone out of control and if you can't tell me what's wrong without you going out and hurting people instead, we can't hang out anymore."

Matt turned around and headed for the passenger seat but Tyler grabbed onto his arm. "Just like that? Are you serious?"

Matt pushed his hand away. "Don't make yourself the victim. You placed this upon yourself."

With that, he got back into Stefan's car and the car sped away.

Shit, shit, shit, shit…shit. He could not fuck up more than he already did.

Tyler lost track of time and didn't know how long he stood there until his uncle stepped beside him.

"Tyler?"

Tyler glanced at him.

"You okay?"

Tyler thought of Jeremy face when he said the things he did, Matt's face when he had to tell him they were done. He could not deny he fucked up.

"No, not really." He whispered, turning back to where the car had disappeared through.

Tyler felt a hand place around his shoulder and led him into the house quietly.

"I can walk from here." Tyler mumbled, not looking at his uncle once they got inside.

"You sure?"

Tyler nodded and headed up the stairs. Once inside his room he kicked off his shoes and just landed face down onto his bed. He did not fall asleep. He stayed wide awake, thinking about that night. It all felt like a bad nightmare but there was no denying what he had done to Jeremy. He would never forgive him after the things he had said and done. He didn't know why he said the things he said. He was angry, that's for sure. He had smelled Jeremy's honey like scene as soon as he walked to the swimming hole. It had him dizzy and wanting to touch him, not caring if the others saw. He wanted to touch him, take him, mark him his for no others to touch. For _Matt _to touch. How he envied when he saw them both swimming in the water, laughing and joking around. How simple it could have been for him to just be himself (well maybe not fully himself) and have a good time and he could have been close to Jeremy himself. He could have touched him without the others knowing the intention of it. But he didn't; instead he decided to keep away and act rude when Katherine had given him the opportunity to talk to the person that owned his heart and soul and didn't even know it. He had destroyed the first and last time he would ever get to really talk to him. But was it really too late? Had he fucked up beyond repair?

He hoped not. If it was be with Jeremy or die, he'd take the first option. How bad could it be when it felt like heaven being around him.

If only he had thought of this last night.

* * *

><p>Steven was beyond satisfied as he fed. He couldn't remember the girls' name but he could care less. Chelsea had been long gone and he had the feeling of going for another round. He called the first girl's number on his cellphone and called her. She had arrived almost ten minutes later. He gasped as he broke away from her neck, licking his lips of any remainder. He licked the small leaking drops from the bite and hummed with satisfaction. He grabbed the girl and made her look at him.<p>

"Hide the wound with your life and don't let anyone else see it. If anyone does, tell them you don't know about it. You were never here. Now go home, you're boring me."

She nodded and quickly dressed before going out the door and leaving through the back. Steven laid back onto the sheets and closed his eyes, feeling the new energy flowing through his veins. Suddenly his cellphone began to vibrate. He groaned in annoyance and reached over to the nightstand to grab it. He looked at the screen through heavy lids and sat up quickly when he saw who it was. He pressed the answer button and pressed it to his hear.

"About time." He said.

"Don't use that tone with me, boy. You know I do things my way."

"And you always love being on top."

"I do but let's keep our minds on subject. I'm outside, don't keep me waiting."

"You alone?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

The line went dead. Steven quickly dressed a small smirk of excitement on his face. He out there in three minutes after he listened to where his father was. When he heard he was working in his office as usual, he walked out the front door.

He used his senses to lead him right to his guest.

"Always a pleasure seeing you again, Klaus." Steven said.

"When is it not? I hope you remember my brother, Elijah."

The fair brunette stepped out of the darkness and nodded.

"I do. Good evening."

"Good evening. I heard you want our help."

"Now, brother, it's rude to get down right to business. Steven is our host, he hasn't properly given us a welcome." Klaus said, closing the distance and pressing Steven close to him. Steven bared his throat without hesitation, licking his lips, waiting for the feeling of teeth on his skin. Klaus brushed his hand against the younger vampire's erection. Steven moaned under him.

"Always so eager." he whispered and sunk his teeth into the boy's tender skin.

Note: Don't forget to review! Sorry for any typos still in there!


	17. Every Detail

First Time for Everything

Chapter 17

Note: Thank you for another great round of ego boosting compliments you guys! I'd like to thank The Wonderful Mistique for her idea on a certain Matt and Jeremy event that you guys will see in this chappie! :) I'd also like to thank Wishful-Thinking-21 for her helpfulness! She is the wonder woman with all the help!

PS. Don't worry, I have not forgotten it's still a Jyler story lol

Aldarame: I know right? Tyler deserves some spanking! But don't worry, Tyler won't give up going after Jere to regain his heart :) You, buddie, are like my hero right now…I have been searching for that picture for quite some time now! Thank you so much for that! Impossible indeed! And the three of them making contact? Wooooooo! :D It is now my laptop background and my fanfiction icon!

Jessy: Thanks! It's quite a challenge writing them actually O_O I'm sorry! But I'm going to make it up to you! Just keep reading below!

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><p>Katherine dropped Vicky off at her house.<p>

"Thanks again." She younger girl said.

Kat nodded. "Sure."

She hesitated, not sure about what the other girl might say. "We should hang out sometime."

Kat stared at her in surprise. Who knew the girl she swore was her worse enemy suddenly wanted to hang out? The idea of spending time with another girl sounded nice. Ever since she moved here, everyone but Tyler-well, not anymore-and Matt had been nice to her.

She nodded. "I'd like that."

Vicky gave her a small smile and said a small goodnight to Jeremy. Jeremy whispered back a goodnight before she walked to her house. Kat waited for the girl to enter her house before she sped away.

Katherine looked at her cousin through the review mirror on the way home every few seconds. He did not once stop staring at the window with a pained expression on his face. She could not help but feel this was all her fault. She had been the one to put them together and Jeremy had gotten hurt. Who knows what would have happened if Stefan had not been there and Matt or she had not heard the two boy's commotion. Though Tyler had not hit him the entire time.

They got to the house and Katherine parked her car in the drive way, beside Jenna's van. Jeremy got out before she could say anything.

Jeremy rang the doorbell for Jenna to open but Katherine got there first. Jeremy pushed the door open and saw Jenna was had been halfway through the door. The smile on her face faded when she saw his face.

"What happened?" she asked, coming over to him. Jeremy held his hands up quickly.

"Not now, please. I just want to go to bed." He mumbled and went up the stairs.

Katherine must have motioned her something because Jenna didn't ask any further questions. He opened the door to his room and locked it. He laid down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Tears suddenly sprang to his eyes without warning. He could not have felt more stupid for crying. How could he care what someone like Tyler said to him? He could have been just any other jock back at his old school. But deep inside he knew that was not true. Tyler was not completely human and could crush him with a twist of his wrist if he wanted to. He also didn't want him as a mate. He had proved that, he had signified that in his words. Well, Jeremy didn't care, he told himself. But he couldn't stop the tears from spilling down his cheeks. Suddenly the doorbell rang downstairs. Jeremy turned towards the clock and saw it was almost nine thirty. He listened as one of the girls opened the door.

"Matt? What are you doing here?" Katherine surprised voice asked.

Jeremy's eyes widened and he sat up, perfectly alert as he listened.

He couldn't hear what Matt was saying so he went over to the door and opened it enough to hear.

"…coming at such as late time but I needed to see if Jeremy was okay." Matt explained.

Short pause from Katherine. "He's had a rough night. I don't think he wants to see anybody, I'm sorry."

Jeremy opened the door and stepped out into the hall. "Matt?"

Matt and Katherine turned to look up at him.

"Matt, how are you?" Jenna asked coming from the living room.

Matt tore his eyes away from his to give Jenna and polite smile. "I'm fine, thank you. How are you doing, Mrs. Gilbert?"

Jenna waved it off. "Please, call me Jenna."

Matt looked back up at me. Katherine gave Jenna a look that basically told her to be quiet.

Jenna looked at Jeremy as he looked down at her, mentally telling her to go away.

Jenna must have taken the message for she left without a word, putting up her hands in defense.

"It's okay, Kat, he can come up." Jeremy said.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise but nodded and let him in. Matt thanked her and excused himself before going up stairs.

Matt followed Jeremy into his room. Jeremy closed the door and turned to the blonde in almost embarrassment.

"You didn't have to check up on me. I'm fine."

Matt shook his head. "I wanted to."

Jeremy motioned for Matt to sit down. Jeremy sat down a good distance away but not enough for Matt to notice his nervousness. Jeremy had a feeling there was more to Matt than him just coming to see how he was.

Jeremy stared down at his hands, suddenly feeling like a girl. "Thanks for coming."

"Anytime."

More silence.

Matt let out a breath. "Tyler and I aren't friends anymore."

Jeremy's eyes widened and looked over at him. "Why?"

"It wasn't right what he did, Jere."

"I know but you didn't have to break it off because of me."

"It wasn't your fault Tyler acted the way he did. I just can't be friends with someone who decides to take his anger out on people instead of getting help. I had offered for him to tell me about what was going on but he refused. He chose for this to happen."

"It still wasn't right, Matt. He's not just any friend to you."

"I will do anything to see you safe."

Jeremy swallowed thickly. "I appreciate that but-

Matt turned his body towards him. "I need to tell you something and…I hope you don't freak out."

_Don't have a heart attack, don't have a heart attack. _

He took in a deep breath. "Jeremy, I love you."

_Don't have a heart attack! Don't have a heart attack!_

Jeremy just stared at him, not sure what to say.

"I'm sorry to say this at a bad moment but I had to."

Jeremy turned away from him, feeling his face heat up.

"It's okay if you don't like me back. It must be confusing with everything that went on tonight. Again, I'm sorry. I'll leave."

Matt started to stand up but Jeremy stopped him.

"Look, you don't have to apologize. I can't stop you from liking me but…I don't know if I can feel the same. I don't want us to stop hanging out though."

Matt nodded, understanding. "Would you give me a chance though?"

Matt was attractive and reminded Jeremy of himself. Something told him Matt would never hurt him or say things like Tyler did. Jeremy didn't mind to be in a relationship with Matt. But the question was is that is he did give Matt the chance, would he end up falling for him too? Jeremy didn't want to hurt Matt but he stared into Matt's hopeful face, he didn't think he could say no and not end up hurting him anyway. It seemed like hours later before Jeremy nodded his response, not trusting his voice.

Matt smiled and carefully leaned in, waiting if the other boy wanted to stop. Jeremy didn't stop him and soon their lips brushed one another's. Jeremy shivered at the new touch. He's kissed a girl only once in his life but fifth grade didn't count. Matt deepened the kiss. It was gentle at first, a calm, almost experimental rhythm. Jeremy's heart was pounding in his chest.

* * *

><p>Matt has never been this happy before. Being with Jeremy felt natural. He had expected for Jeremy to stop him but when he didn't, it just added to the joy he had in his heart. They pulled away for air and stared into each other's eyes. Jeremy's was still unsure about this, Matt could see it. But he was not going to push him into something he didn't want.<p>

"Are you okay?" he asked gently.

The younger boy just nodded.

"Do you want me to stop?"

He shook his head.

Matt leaned in again, this time feeling a little more confident in his actions. Matt reached up to cup the side of Jeremy's cheek and stroke the skin there with his thumb. It felt soft and warm under his fingertips.

* * *

><p>Jeremy moved his body closer to Matt and leaned against his touch. He had to admit, he felt…comfortable now as their kisses continued but he didn't feel happy like he should. Maybe he just had to give it time. As seconds passed, the kiss began to heat up and his control began to slip. Jeremy blamed it on the room temperature. Jeremy touched the tip of his tongue against to the other boy's bottom lip. Matt tensed for a second, taken back by his bold move. But alas, he opened and their tongues touched.<p>

Suddenly, everything came back down to earth when a knock came from the door. Matt and Jeremy pulled apart. Their faces flushed and panting lightly.

"Jeremy, Aunt Jenna said it's starting to get late now." Katherine said.

Jeremy glanced at the clock and his eyes widened when he saw it had been a little more than an hour before since Matt arrived.

"Sorry." He called.

"Just following orders."

Katherine's shoes clicked on the floor as she went to her room.

Matt cleared his throat. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Yeah…thanks for coming."

Matt smiled and pressed one last kiss upon the brunet's lips before he stood up. Jeremy escorted him to the door and said their goodnight. Matt touched Jeremy's hand for a second before he went out the door. Jeremy watched as the blonde walked to his car. He waved when he got inside before he drove off.

Jeremy then closed the door and saw Jenna was coming from the kitchen, yawning.

"Going to bed." She said.

"Me too. It's late."

"But I'm glad you're making friends, Jere."

"….Me too…"

"Ops, could you turn off the light in the kitchen for me, please?"

"No problem."

After he switched off the light, Jeremy walked up the stairs and passed Katherine's door when he felt himself being pulled inside. He was pinned to the wall and he stared, wide eyed, into Katherine's excited and smirking face.

"I want every detail, kid."

Note: *stares at the screen* Ok, I'm thinking not the best… but it will have to do. I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway. Sorry if you're not a Matt/Jeremy fan but like I said before, I didn't forget this is a Jyler story. Jyler is my #1 :D

Ps. Don't forget to review and my apologies for any typos!


	18. Planning

First Time for Everything

Chapter 18

Note: There are no words to describe how supportive and amazing you guys are anymore :) Thank you guys so much! XoXo A thank you to "cole el diabolos" for making me see how I did things in a new way! :)

PS. I didn't want to type out the entire pep talk Mason gives Tyler but you'll see what Tyler does next chapter.

Aldarame: Well…you'll see! I know what you mean. Matt and Jeremy are so cute but Jyler will always be #1 sorry Matt we still love you though! Ahhhhh yes Damon and Jeremy another damn hot couple :D defiantly! Yup, family always comes first! Hugs for taking care of her!

( ): Thank you :) That was actually my intention to make you guys think! So yay me for being sneaky haha! That would have been hot though! No problem, I always try to update every day! You're so nice!

Jessy: Yeahhh I was telling someone else too that I wish one day our Jyler community will over power the Delena, Cyler, and Beremy couples! I don't know if I announced them correctly but oh well! I know right? O_O and they're touching! It should be the top picture for slash community! Wooooooo!

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><p>The next day, Tyler woke up with a headache. He really had to lay off the alcohol.<p>

He went to the bathroom, feeling dizzy and opening the mirror to grab the bottle of Advil. He popped two into his mouth and drank it down with tap water. He sighed and closed the mirror to look at his tired reflection. Tyler heard his uncle downstairs as usual. His father was taking a shower and his mother was moving around in the room, getting ready for the day. Tyler took his own quick shower and dressed before heading downstairs, very surprised to see his uncle cleaning the stove. Mason glanced over when he entered.

"Good morning. I'd ask you how did you sleep but your face tells me everything."

"Why are you cleaning? Did your brother make you?"

"Believe it or not I wanted to help. Since I'm staying here for a bit on vacation, might as well help out."

"Well I need to talk to you again when you're finished."

"How about when _we're _finished?" Mason asked, smirking.

Tyler glared and said nothing. After a moment, he rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"Start mopping the floor. Tools are in the closet."

"I know where they are."

The two boys worked in silence until Mrs. Lockwood came into the kitchen. Her mouth dropped open when she saw her son cleaning.

"Who are you and what have you done with my son?" she teased.

"Mailed him to somewhere in Africa."

"Well, thank you to both of you for helping. Richard and I will be going to a meeting downtown. Richard and I were hoping to do a charity event the day before Halloween."

Cause the town wasn't scary enough as it was.

Tyler's father was heard coming down the stairs and came over ready with brief case in hand. "Ready?"

Mrs. Lockwood nodded and blew her kiss to Tyler and said her goodbye to Mason. Richard stopped and looked at his son. "I called your coach yesterday."

Course he did.

"What for?"

"To see how you were doing. He said you and your team were doing good and he hoped things will keep it up for the summer and school year."

"I'll do my best."

"Countin' on it. I'll see you two later."

When he was gone, Tyler turned to Mason and mouthed the word "asshole".

Mason shrugged, smirking. When the door closed, Tyler set the mop against the chair seat and looked at his uncle.

"Can we talk now?"

"Sure. I was done anyway."

"Good to know. Okay so I'm going to go straight to the story and point of this. Yesterday I went to the swimming hole which I told you about and-

"And you did something stupid."

Tyler started at Mason in surprise but then he glared. "Who's telling the story?"

"Sorry, continue."

"I did do something stupid. Katherine, my…mate's cousin, wanted for Jeremy and I to talk but his scent was taking over my mind and I got fucking scared and got angry and pinned him down to the ground and started yelling at him. In the end, Matt and Stefan got me off but I then said something I regretted."

"Which was…?"

"He shouldn't have come to town and I hated him. And because of what I did, I lost my best friend."

Mason sighed in disbelief at his nephew's behavior. "Was that the first time you truly got to be near him?"

Tyler nodded.

"It was not right what you did. You just have to learn to accept him, there's no way out. But I'm certain you'll love him one day. As for your best friend, he'll come around. He'll be thinking about what happened. And if he is the best friend you think of him to be, he'll come back."

"You make it sound so easy."

"You wanted to hear what I had to say didn't you?"

Tyler nodded, lowering to gaze to glare down at the floor.

"What if Jeremy doesn't want to un-hate me? I'm screwed then? I'm going to go insane and end up dying a horrible and painful, lonely death?"

Mason didn't answer right away. Tyler looked up at him, fearing that meant a yes.

Mason was staring at him seriously. "No. You two were meant for each other, Tyler. If you truly want him back, you have to work for it just like for everything else in life. But whatever you do, you have to mean it, no matter what. But you first have to accept the situation."

"But what about my parents? My dad especially? Do you think he'll learn to accept that his son is gay?"

"I'll take care of him. Right now, I need to help you with Jeremy so sit down."

* * *

><p>Steven woke up the next day, feeling hungry for blood. He got out of bed and walked out of his room and over to the guest rooms Klaus and Elijah were occupying in his house. He had let Klaus compel his father to keep the originals in his house; making him think they were his family from Romania and not to ask any further questions. If anyone else asks, that's what he would tell them; family from Romania. Steven opened Klaus' door carefully and peeked inside. Klaus lay on stomach on the bed, white sheets covering his lower body. It wasn't that Steven preferred male companionship over female but something about Klaus made him feel like alive than any girl in the school has.<p>

Steven slowly stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him. He tensed when the soft click would make Klaus awake but seconds passed and nothing. He then relaxed and walked quietly over to the blonde. He let his gaze slide down his freckled shoulders and down his back and over the sheets. Steven reached out ghost his hand over Klaus' back. Steven let out a small gasp when he was grabbed and pinned under, grabbed firmly by the throat. He looked up at the older vampire's serious face.

"I would kill you right now but where would be the fun in that?" he mumbled. "Why did you disturb me?"

"I just wanted to come and see you."

Klaus saw where Steven's on his neck and rolled his eyes. "Bother my brother instead with that."

Klaus got off him and sat on the other side of the bed. Steven followed and wrapped his arms around Klaus from behind. The brunette knew he was stepping into dangerous territory but he didn't care.

"I'll make it worth your while."

Klaus smirked. "I bet you can. Now let go or lose your arms."

Steven let go with disappointment. Klaus turned around to look at him.

"Well you should get used to it. After Tyler is six feet under and graduation, us three will get outa here."

Klaus chuckled. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Now tell me why you wanted us here."

Steven wanted to protest but decided he would bring it up later again. He turned serious when he thought of Tyler. "I need you to do some dirty work for me."

"Murder?"

"A painful one but first, I want to make him suffer."

"Why can't you do all of this yourself?"

"Where would be the fun in that?"

"Touché. So who exactly is our victim?"

"Tyler Lockwood, a werewolf who's also a player in my football team and has been a bad itch since Elementary."

"A werewolf huh? No wonder you want him gone. But seeing you still alive either means he's doesn't know or you've protected yourself really well."

Steven snorted. "Lockwood is still a puppy. He's barely been under the curse for two years."

"Who'd he kill?"

"His mother. Well, not completely. By what I'm guessing, he set off her heart attack. News report states she died in the emergency room but came back to live."

"Still counts as death by his hands."

Steven nodded, agreeing.

"Has he found his mate?"

A mischievous smile appeared on Steven's lips. "He did. That's where I want to begin. I just need to dig in a little deeper, find something I can use in my favor."

"This also sounds like something you can do yourself, boy."

"I know but you can't pass up on misery."

Klaus smirked at Steven. "You know me so well."

"Do I get reward for that?" the brunette asked, gazing down at the other's lips.

"Did your dad head for work?"

"Long time ago."

"In that case…"

Klaus pushed Steven down on the bed and proceeded to begin their morning the vampire way.

Note: Don't forget to review!


	19. Decision

First Time for Everything

Chapter 19

Note: Thank you all for your reviews and a big thank you to bb1019 for reminding me of a way better reason why Steven should also hate Tyler! So because of that, I changed some things on Chapter 18 for whoever wants to go back and check it out :)

PS. Link to my username picture at my profile at very top.

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><p>Okay, Matt missed Tyler. It had only been a day and the guilt was pretty painful. Especially when the flashbacks stopped by for a visit the night he got home from seeing Jeremy. He had remembered the first day of Kindergarten where he met Tyler. Matt was nervous just like any other of the other students in his grade. Even Tyler. Matt was clutching his mother's dress while she held four year old Vicky in her arms. They stopped in the line to where the teacher would come by to lead them into her classroom. Matt looked around nervously at all the faces of the other children. Mostly all were nervous or in tears, holding their mother or father's hand for comfort. Then his eyes landed on Tyler. He was the only kid who was standing alone while he stared at the ground, face red from the threat of crying. Matt felt confused as he stared. Why was he alone? Where was his mother or father? Matt hadn't realized he had stopped trembling.<p>

"You're going to have a good time, honey. You're going to make friends, play games, sing songs, all that fun stuff. Vicky and I will be back for you in a while." His mother said reassuringly.

Matt only nodded and that's when his teacher finally came. Matt's mother bent down to kiss him on the cheek and bent Vicky down to do the same.

Matt began to walk slowly up the small cement stairs the other children went up and looked back at his mother and sister. His mother waved and Vicky just stared with a curious face. Matt waved back and turned around as they headed down a hallway.

That's when he noticed Tyler was in front of him. He didn't know his name or anything about him at the time but Matt saw the boy's head was bent down as he walked, not talking to anyone. He also saw a G.I. Joe figure on the side of his backpack.

They arrived at the classroom and the day went okay for him. He didn't really talk to anybody and neither did Tyler. His face wasn't red anymore but he was serious the entire time and did not participate when they sang songs. Though he did notice that Tyler had a small smile on his face while he drew pictures with crayons on pieces of paper. Matt felt curious to see what he was drawing but he felt shy so he kept his curiosity to himself. When the first day ended, he waited for his mom by the stairs they had gone up through. He saw Tyler head over to a woman who was smiling at him. Matt guessed she was his mother. He watched Tyler and his mother walk away when he saw his G.I. Joe figure drop onto the ground. Neither Tyler or his mother must have heard it because they kept on walking. Matt hesitated but then ran over to the action figure and picked it up. Matt then ran over to Tyler and tapped him on the shoulder. Tyler turned and so did his mother. I held out the action figure to him.

"You dropped it."

Tyler's eyes widened and took his figure back. "Thanks."

"How nice of you, honey. Thank you for that. It's Tyler's favorite toy."

Tyler looked embarrassed by his mom's comment.

"It's okay." Matt had said embarrassed as well. "Bye."

He walked away without looking back and was glad to see his mother and sister at the gate.

The days followed and Tyler got confident to talk to Matt. They became friends and hanged out during lunch time on the playground. A month later, Matt was invited to Tyler's house. Matt was shocked to have learned his father was the mayor of the town and he lived in the big mansion he had once passed by.

Time passed and by middle school, they were officially best friends. Even in the eyes of other students. They always had each other's backs.

Matt took the pillow from under his head and placed it over his face, shouting his frustration into it. He took it off and placed it on the bed again and got up to get ready for a new week of football practice. It would be a challenge for Matt to see Tyler again but he knew the other male couldn't be completely avoided. Matt began remember back to Saturday night and what he had told Tyler. Their friendship was over but he didn't specifically say if it was for a period of time or forever.

After Matt got showered and packed things, he went downstairs. He went to the kitchen to get a cold water bottle and was surprised when he came out and saw his sister.

"Hey." She said.

"What's up?"

"How you feeling?"

"I'm okay."

"And Tyler?"

Matt looked away and headed for the door. "I have to go to practice. I'll see you later."

"I don't think ending your friendship with him is going to make him feel any better."

Matt stopped, hand on the lock.

"What he did was wrong, yeah, but you're his best friend, aren't you? You're supposed to help him."

"I did. I asked him to talk to me and he didn't want to."

"Keep insisting."

Matt didn't say anything.

"I would like to have a best friend-fuck that, _any _friend. Don't be stupid and push yours away. Just sayin'."

Matt heard Vicky then walk to the kitchen and search through the fridge for something to eat. He then unlocked the door and left.

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><p>Katherine couldn't stop smirking at Jeremy the morning. All through breakfast she that knowing smile on her face and it made him want to practically throw his plate of scrambled eggs in her face.<p>

"What's up with you guys this morning?" Aunt Jenna asked, looking between Jeremy and Katherine.

"Nothing, she's just being weird." Jeremy replied easily.

"Yeah, that's what I'm doing."

"Okay…"

Jeremy had told Katherine Matt had kissed her when she had practically held him prisoner until he told her the truth.

"Groping?" she had asked.

"No and not that it's any of your business!"

After breakfast, Jeremy placed his dishes in the sink and thanked his aunt. He then went to the living room to watch tv. After two rounds of flipping through the channels, he went with the History Channel about the fall of Ancient Egypt.

"Nerd." Katherine commented as she sat down next to him.

Jeremy didn't say anything and the two teens watched in silence.

* * *

><p>"We need to talk." Katherine said a while later. "About Tyler."<p>

Jeremy sighed.

"I'm sorry for putting you in like that but I told you before Jeremy, it can affect him but it can also affect you."

"Well, it's his fault because he didn't want to talk to me."

"No offense, but it was your fault too."

Jeremy glanced at her surprised. "What?"

"You should have insisted." Katherine's face grimed. "I don't think…"

If Matt and Jeremy had hooked up in a boyfriend relationship, Tyler will not be happy. Who knows what Tyler will do once he knows? But it wouldn't be fair to tell Jeremy to stay away. Just by Matt talking to Jeremy, boyfriends or not, the blonde was still near Tyler's mate and she knew wolves, by nature, do not like others near their property. She didn't need the spell book to tell her that. But the dream…was that Matt's blood in Jeremy's hands? Will Matt get hurt? Worse? She hoped not unless Jeremy talked to Tyler. But then maybe she should. Fuck, things were still not looking up now.

"You don't think what?" Jeremy asked.

She didn't want to tell him. It was her duty as his witch bodyguard to keep her cousin safe but also being family, it was her duty to see him happy.

"Are you happy with Matt?" she asked Jeremy.

He stared at her, as if he had been wondering that about himself first. After a few seconds he shrugged. "I like Matt. I have no problem being with him that way."

"So you like him _like _him?"

Jeremy turned around to check if Jenna was listening. The sound of washing dishes was in the air while she singing a song softly to herself. Jeremy turned back around.

"I need time." He continued. "We barely got together last night. He technically didn't ask me but from what we did, he didn't need to."

"I just hope Tyler doesn't do anything stupid if he finds out but then it would only be a matter of time."

Jeremy nodded. They then heard Jeremy's phone beep and he took it out. She leaned over and saw it was from Matt.

**Just wanted to say I love you before I head out to run. I'll text you on my way to work.**

"So adorable. I'm officially jealous of you right now." Katherine said.

"Why?"

"Stefan must be partially blind because he doesn't seem to even want to talk to me."

"No offense, Kat, but your attitude scares him."

Kat frowned. "Excuse you?"

"Well you seem like the kind of girl who…" Jeremy trails off, hoping she knew where he was getting at.

Kat took a few seconds to realize and she huffed. "I'm not a whore."

"He doesn't know that."

"I still think he's partially blind or maybe…he's gay."

Jeremy had to laugh at that. "Oh god!"

"He could be!"

"It sounds weird but we don't usually like the whole rough scene so I don't think he is. He would have made or said something. Anyway I saw him talking to Vicky."

Katherine stared at her cousin, letting it sink in. "Okay, fine. But he still can't believe he gives me the cold shoulder. You would think a guy knows a hot girl when he sees one!"

Jeremy rolls his eyes, returning his focus on the screen. "He'll come around."

"Wonder how long that will take." She mumbled.

Jeremy turns to her, a soft expression on his face. "You truly love him?"

Katherine gazes down the wooden table in front of them. "It scares me sometimes, but you have no idea."

* * *

><p>Matt had seen Tyler while running laps but neither of the two boys went up to talk to each other. The day or practice went well and Coach Tanner decided to take Thursday off of football practice. This didn't really pick up the two boy's enthusiasm. When they were dismissed, Tyler got into step with Matt as they headed for the locker rooms.<p>

"Are we seriously done? No talking whatsoever for the rest of our lives?" Tyler asked, frowning.

Matt sighed deeply and shrugged. "Of course not for the rest of our lives. I guess I take back what I said about our friendship being over but I want you to seriously think about what you did and make things better. If you're having problems for whatever reason, it's not right to take it out on whomever you see fit. Just want you to know that."

Tyler nodded. "I know and I'll try to fix things, I will."

"Good. I'll know when I see it." Matt commented softly.

Matt and Tyler went into the locker rooms and undressed for a shower. After, they changed and Stefan came up to Matt.

"Can I talk to you for a second, please?" he asked.

Matt looked at him, surprised, but nodded. "Sure."

Matt looked over at Tyler. "See you tomorrow."

Matt swung his bag strap onto his shoulder. Stefan nodded his goodbye to Tyler before the two boys walked out of the locker rooms, heading for their cars.

"I wanted to apologize. It was a stupid idea to go to the swimming hole." Stefan said.

"Don't be sorry, it wasn't your fault. Tyler said he is going to make things better and I really hope he does this time. We had fun that other part of the time either way."

Stefan gave him a small smile. "So how's Jeremy?"

Matt smiled at his name. "He's better, I hope. Haven't seen him today. Maybe I'll stop by after work."

"That's good. So I have to get going but say hi to him for me when you see him."

"No problem. See ya."

"Bye."

They separated ways and Matt went to his car. He pulled out his cellphone.

_Hey, I got done with practice. Are you busy tonight?_

A minute later, he answered. **How was it? And no, why? **

_It went well actually. Do you mind if I come by tonight?_

**I don't mind. I'll see you later then. **

_Okay :) Love you._

Matt didn't know if Jeremy would say it back. Either way, he was still grateful that Jeremy decided to give him a chance. Minutes passed and nothing. Matt felt a little disappointed but shook it off. He turned on the engine and headed to work.

* * *

><p>Jeremy felt bad that day when he didn't reply but he didn't want to say something he didn't mean. Then there was Tyler, who supposedly will affect him if he didn't get with him. It was all very complicated.<p>

"So Matt's coming?" Katherine asked.

"Yeah, he should be here in a few minutes."

He had cleaned his room and was checking it over once more for any flaws.

"Just be careful."

Jeremy looked at her. "I'm not a girl, Kat."

"I know but everything has consequences."

The doorbell rang and Jeremy went to open the door. Katherine waved at Matt when she saw him before she went to her room to let them have their privacy.

Inside their room, Matt quickly brought Jeremy close for a kiss. When it ended, Jeremy's face turned red and cleared his cleared his throat nervously.

"Thanks for that."

Matt smiled. They sat down on the bed and Matt laid down to relax, sighing at the feeling of the soft mattress under him.

"Coach thought we're still doing well. He took Thursday off of practice."

"That's great. I bet you're the one to thank for that right?"

Matt chucked. "No pressure or anything. But no I wish, kind of. It's just all of us working together as a team. Steven is most tolerable when we're playing. He's not so much of a dick."

"Steven? Your captain?"

"Very one. Did I mention him before?"

"No, Kat has told me a few things here and there the day I got here."

"Ah."

Jeremy's eyes widened when he felt himself being pulled down onto his back.

"Relax." Matt commented, smirking.

Jeremy gave him a small smile and looked up at the ceiling, feeling shy at their faces being so close. Matt entwined his hand with Jeremy's and pulled them up, resting their upper arms on the bed.

They stayed like that for a while, thinking and just feeling each other's presence.

"Where do we go from here?" Matt asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well since we're together now, I don't know whether you wanted our relationship to be private or not."

Jeremy hadn't thought about that. "Katherine is the only one who knows. Technically I didn't tell her, she already had a feeling when you left last night."

"Oh, how did she take it?"

Jeremy smirked. "Good, actually."

"And now it's going to be hard for me to look her in the face." Matt joked.

"I don't care if everyone knows or not. You're the one who should really think about it, you've lived here and know everyone. Aren't you nervous about what they will think about you?"

"Are you?"

Jeremy hesitated. "A little but it's going to affect me less since it won't be any difference from my last school. They made the rumors that I was gay since they never saw my date a girl. If they only knew how true the rumors were."

"Have you ever talked to a girl though?"

"Yeah but they interested me enough to become bisexual."

"Wow I'm asking you really personal questions, aren't I?"

Jeremy shrugged and looked at their entwined hands. "It's okay. I have nothing to hide."

Jeremy regretted the words as soon as it left them. Matt didn't know about his best friend being a werewolf and Jeremy being his mate.

Jeremy's cellphone suddenly began to ring next to him and grabbed it with his free hand to see who it was.

"My mom." Jeremy informed.

"Want me to leave?"

"Its fine, I could call her later."

"Sure?"

Jeremy nodded.

Another moment of silence fell upon the boys.

* * *

><p>Matt thought about what would happen if he decided to hold hands and kiss in school, letting everybody know they were together. The jocks (and probably Tyler too) would give him a hard time, making fun of him and maybe even deciding to go physical and give him a beating. Who knows what they would do to Jeremy? They had seen him once before but they wouldn't care if Jeremy had been in Mystic falls since he was born like Matt was. But then thinking about making their relationship private would be a little boring; no contact of any unmanly sort in public without risk of getting noticed, or even having the comfort in Jeremy's house for the risk of having Jenna suspect something was up. The only place they would be safe would be at Matt's house but then it would be awkward if Vicky was there. Even if Matt told her to go upstairs, the little sneak would probably peek around the corner.<p>

"Well you said you were going to be here for a year. If everything goes well between us it would be weird and a little boring to keep us a secret even in your own house, wouldn't it?"

Jeremy rolled his head to the side to look at him thoughtfully. "I…suppose so."

Matt looked at him. "Then how about we make it public? Why care for what someone else has to say? If troubles happen, we can handle it."

Jeremy nodded slowly, still thinking about it. "Alright."

"Alright."

Matt leaned in and kissed Jeremy gently, reaching out to cradle the back of Jeremy's head and pull him closer.

* * *

><p>Tyler felt his face heat up with blood, but he wasn't blushing from embarrassment. He was boiling inside from the anger and pure jealously as he stared with wide eyes at the show inside the room. Tyler's hands clenched to the point of pain but he couldn't care less. His demon inside of him was screaming to him to break inside and kill Matt, kill him for touching his mate that way. Jeremy was his!<p>

But Tyler couldn't. It wasn't close to full moon yet and Matt was his best friend. Mason had given him specific instructions on what to do. Sadly, they didn't start until school did. But he would be patient. It was the only option he had and if was the only one that would help him get Jeremy back, he would do it.

Jeremy would be his. No matter what he had to do, Jeremy would be his.

Note: Next chapter starts out on the first day of school! Game on! :D


	20. First Day

First Time for Everything

Chapter 20

Note: And the first day of school is here! Yay! Thanks you guys for your reviews and support! Big thank you to The Wonderful Mistique for her idea on Steven and his audio message! :D

Aldarame: That's what we call one freaking sexy creature indeed! Good lord I died and came back to life from the hotness! Lucky Tyler XD Thank you for the picture and your for review!

* * *

><p>"Nervous?" Katherine asked as Jeremy grabbed his backpack.<p>

"And you know why."

Jeremy had told Katherine about what Matt and he had decided. They were going to have their relationship in the open and Jeremy had to admit, he was a little scared.

"Well if anybody gives you trouble, tell me and I'll set them on fire."

Jeremy laughed. "I'd love to see that."

Jenna had wanted to take them on their first day. Jeremy wouldn't have minded but Katherine reacted with horror and protested quickly. In the end, Katherine won. Poor Jenna.

Katherine looked down at her delicate gold watch bracelet. "We should get going before the parking lot fulls."

Jeremy nodded and grabbed his backpack. They walked out of Jeremy's room and down the stairs.

"Going to school, Aunt Jenna!" Jeremy called.

"Have a awesome day! Don't get into trouble, Katherine!"

Katherine rolled her eyes and went out the door, Jeremy behind her. He closed the door and went over to Kat's car.

"What did she mean by that? Did you get in trouble once?" Jeremy asked.

"This bitch called me fat. Wasn't going to let her get away with it."

"Oh how awful." Jeremy said sarcastically.

They got inside and she glared at him. "Hey, you're not a guy so shut up!"

Matt had wanted to take Jeremy to school but he had remembered he needed to get to school earlier for a football thing.

The two teens arrived at school and Katherine found a place to park her car. People stared at them…or should Jeremy say at him?

Jeremy ignored them and walked with Katherine towards the entrance of the school.

"You know where your locker and classes are, right?" Katherine asked.

"Yeah, you pointed it out to me the day we went to the office."

Katherine followed Jeremy to his first period class, keeping a lookout for Tyler but at the same time for Stefan. Vicky was there when they arrived.

"Hey!" she said, surprised.

Katherine waved at her and Jeremy smiled. Vicky got up from her desk and went over to them.

"You have this class too?" Vicky asked Katherine.

"No, I'm just here until the bell rings."

"Hey, Jeremy." She lowered her voice. "I heard you're hooking up with my brother."

Jeremy's face turned red and Katherine smirked.

"Yes, he is." Katherine confirmed for Jeremy.

"How cute! It's been awhile since Matt was this happy."

Katherine changed the subject and the two girls engaged in conversation. Katherine gave Vicky her number and vice versa when the bell rang.

"Good luck." Katherine said to Jeremy, giving him an encouraging pat on the shoulder before she walked out of the classroom. Jeremy sat next to Vicky in the back of the room and talked until the teacher came in a few minutes later when the second bell rang.

* * *

><p>The day went pretty quickly with just teacher introductions, passing of books, and going over boring syllabuses. Lunch finally came and Katherine texted Jeremy to meet her at the entrance of the lunch room. She was on her way out of the classroom when she felt someone tap her back from behind. She turned to see Tyler Lockwood.<p>

"What do you want?" she asked, eyeing him with a little dislike.

"I need to talk to you about someone. I'm sure you can guess who."

She stared at him hard for a moment before she nodded. "Not here."

They went outside and stopped at a spot where there weren't students around.

"What about Jeremy?" she asked.

"It's fine if you and Jeremy don't like me because of what I did that night. I do apologize and I want to tell him that but I know he won't forgive me."

"Damn right he won't."

"So I need your help in getting him for forgive me."

Katherine was shocked at this but decided to play innocent. "Why?"

She expected for him to hesitate. "It's complicated but I would like to start over. I was an ass to him."

"Mmmhm. And what makes you think I'll even agree to help you?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip.

She saw Tyler think quickly. "I'll give you anything you want in return."

Interesting.

Katherine switched her white Prada purse to her other hand.

"Anything?" she asked.

Tyler nodded, determined.

Katherine nodded. "I'll think about it. Meet me at the same time here tomorrow, I'll have your answer. Don't bother me or my cousin or else I'll automatically reject your offer."

Katherine felt his eyes on her back as she walked into the building again. She was going to have to think of this deeply. Meanwhile, she'll keep this a secret from Jeremy until the time is right.

* * *

><p>Matt was heading to the cafeteria and saw Jeremy standing the door. He smiled and walked up to him.<p>

"Hey, beautiful." Matt greeted. Jeremy looked over at him in surprise. Before he could say anything, Matt leaned over to kiss the younger boy on the forehead. He then took Jeremy's hand in his.

"Oh my god!" someone whispered in utter shock as they walked past them.

Jeremy looked at him with embarrassment. "Hey."

"Waiting for me?"

"Actually he was waiting for me. But happy you could join us, Mattie." Katherine said coming to stand next to the two boys. "Ready for lunch?"

"Very." Jeremy said quickly and walked behind Katherine into the cafeteria. Matt didn't let go of Jeremy's hand as they walked inside.

Steven was having lunch with his team mates. He poked at his food with his plastic fork but didn't eat it. He didn't need it and he wasn't feeling up to eating disgusting human cafeteria crap.

Daniel, who was sitting next to him, swapped him eagerly on the arm.

"Look!"

Steven looked at where the guy was pointing at. His eyes fell upon Katherine, the new kid he saw from the bleachers and Donovan…

Holy shit.

He dropped his fork in shock. New kid and Donovan were holding hands in plain view of the student body.

"Do you think he lost a bet or something?" Jack asked him, another team player asked in astonishment.

He doubted it. He doubted it very much.

Steven's expression went blank as he turned to look at Jack while he answered.

"I don't care."

The two boys and Aaron looked at him weird.

"What do you mean you don't care?" Daniel asked.

"By what I said! Now shut the fuck up and eat!" he snapped.

The three guys looked at each other in confusion at his unusual behavior but didn't protest. They did keep looking over at the two new lovebirds but didn't comment this time. Steven felt a smirk spread onto his face. It was his lucky day.

* * *

><p>The news was the top gossip of the school when lunch was over. When Tyler had spotted them, he decided to skip lunch and headed to his next class. He felt so angry, so jealous, like a girl but he couldn't come to care anymore. He couldn't believe the two of them had decided to make their <em>relationship <em>(he forced the word out) wanted Jeremy. Needed him, literally, for he was the only reason he could only keep from going insane and end up committing suicide. The clock was ticking and the wolf was only so patient before they both lost their grip on control. The last two classes were torture as he looked out the window, not caring what the teacher had to say. He took his textbook and papers for the year and glanced over at Katherine who was busy re-applying her make up. Some guys were practically drooling on their desks while a girl or two glared at her for having the guys' attention. Mason had told him to start with his closest connection (he didn't dare think of going to Matt) to Jeremy and ask for their help. To offer anything they he or she wanted in order to get them to agree. He prayed she said yes. It would probably end up being money or something which was fine with him. He had more than plenty saved and would even consider taking some out of his college fund if he didn't save enough in his wallet. Wow, he almost sounded obsessed, he thought sarcastically, to himself.

After school, he was practically ready to punch somebody in the face if he heard the mention of Matt and Jeremy together one more time. He went to his car to get his gym bag for football practice. As he turned the key in the lock to open the trunk, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and looked at the screen. It was a message from an unavailable number. On the corner of the message it had to symbol for audio.

He frowned, looking up and around, as if expecting for the unknown caller to be around to be spotted easily. When no one was even looking in his direction, he pressed the button to open the message and pressed it to his ear. At first Tyler couldn't figure out the noises but then he it hit him. It was the sound of kissing. It lasted a couple of seconds then he heard panting.

"_I love you, Jeremy." Matt said._

"_Do you mean that?" Jeremy asked._

"_Always. I don't care who knows it. No one is taking me away from you."_

Then more kissing.

Tyler's grip had tightened and it continued to until it broke in his hand and fell onto pieces on the ground. This was beyond god damn, fucking ridiculous. Now people were sending audio to everyone. But why use an unavailable number?

Tyler checked his watch and grabbed his bag, closing the trunk and hurrying for practice. Last thing he needed was lip from Tanner. He didn't think he could resist punching that asshole in the face after what he just heard.

Matt wasn't at his locker when Tyler arrived at his. His jaw tightened. He was probably with Jeremy.

"It's weird that Donovan turned gay on us." Tyler heard one of the players comment a row away.

"I'm not so shocked. He was too nice and quiet to be straight." Another one added.

The players laughed.

"What about that new kid? Where's he from?"

"I heard from Florida."

"It heard his name is Jeremy. He's Katherine's cousin. He was with her that day at practice."

"Well, he's girly looking so on wonder Matt is probably confusing him with a one!"

More laughter.

"Calm down. Ignore them. Can't afford to get yourself in trouble on the first day." Tyler thought to himself firmly.

Tyler glanced over when Matt arrived at his locker with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Ty." He said.

Wow, he was using his nickname again already.

"Where have you been?" he asked almost angrily.

Matt either was too happy to notice or decided to ignore his tone. "Well, I'm sure you probably know about us."

Tyler didn't reply.

Tyler glanced off to the side to give him privacy to change. Matt took his silence as a negative response.

"Well, I'm hope that you will be happy for me at least. You are my best friend."

"You still remember that?"

Matt sighed. "Could we not fight right now?"

"Whatever, it's just annoying that people send audio of you two to everyone!"

Tyler glanced at the corner of his eye and saw Matt was putting on his shoes. The boy looked up, startled.

"Who?"

Tyler shrugged. "I don't know. Unavailable number."

"Everyone has it?"

"Well it would be weird if it only came to me."

Very, very weird.

Matt nodded.

"Stop your yacking and get your asses out on the field! Now!" Coach Tanner yelled from the other side of the locker rooms. Tyler flinched at the loud, echoing noise.

The two boys placed on their helmets and followed silently out of the locker rooms.

* * *

><p>Katherine had waited in her car for Jeremy when school ended that day. She didn't mind if the love birds were busy sucking face somewhere publicly but, it was their business and decisions. While she waited, she had spent the time thinking of Tyler Lockwood's proposal. He had looked serious, determined to get Jeremy back, which either meant he had finally gave in or the werewolf inside him was getting hard to ignore. Though she doubted that Tyler truly loved Jeremy so she was going with option number two.<p>

Let's say if she agreed to help Tyler. What could she want to get in return? She had enough money from her mother's monthly transfer check. Triumph at the thought that Tyler had to turn gay for her cousin? No, love was not love when someone is forced to. But then if she didn't help, who knew what Tyler could do. He could decide he couldn't take it anymore and come into their house to kidnap Jeremy one night (little ridiculous sounding but it could happen). Anyway according to her spell book, if Jeremy didn't get together with him, he would start going into a depression as time went by. This, of course, was not something she wanted to tell Jeremy or he'd feel pressured and things would get even more complicated. Fuck this god damn summer! She didn't regret Jeremy's arrival but she wondered what would have happened if Jeremy hadn't arrived in town. Would Tyler still have been able to go on with his life?

Ugh, it seemed she had her answer. But she was doing it for Jeremy's safety. But then when she thought about Matt, she couldn't help but re-think. He would be heartbroken for sure but there seemed no other option. Fate had been set and it needed to take its course. Matt would have to understand. She was sure Matt will one day find his own soul mate.

She stopped thinking about Matt and went back to Tyler. She guessed she didn't need any payment for her services, she just wanted Jeremy safe and for Tyler not to lose his grip on sanity and do something stupid.

Katherine saw Jeremy coming and rolled her eyes, shaking her head with a small smirk. Jeremy got in the car and apologized for keeping her waiting.

"If Matt didn't need to go to practice, you guys would probably keep going at it." She teased.

Jeremy turned red. "We weren't doing anything. We were just saying goodbye."

Katherine raised her hands in mock defense before turning on the engine and backing out of the parking space. She then turned and drove out, heading towards the house.

Katherine glanced over at Jeremy who quickly turned away from her. She smiled, amused. She knew that face, she was getting used to seeing it almost every day now.

"Say it, cousin."

"It's awkward."

"I think we're beyond all awkwardness right now, don't you think?"

Jeremy kept hesitating.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Fine, you don't have to right now but you know I'm here when you need me."

Wow, she sounded like a mother.

Jeremy nodded. "Thanks."

Note: Don't forget to review!


	21. Our Little Secret

First Time for Everything

Chapter 21

Note: Thank you guys for your support! Happy 4th of July! :D

The next day, Katherine drove alone to school. Jeremy had gotten a ride earlier with Matt so they could have time to "hang out" before school and football practice after. And with work after that, it was beyond her how he could find time to do homework when the teachers started to load them with that nonsense. Suddenly, her phone rung in her purse and she reached over to rumble blindly for it. She found it and brought it over to see it was a text from Vicky. She wanted to sit together during lunch.

Katherine arrived and parked her car into one of the few empty spaces and replied to Vicky to agree. She turned off the engine and got out, locking her car. She checked the time and saw she had a few minutes before school started. She wasn't sure if Tyler was at school yet so she would have to wait until lunch to talk to him.

She pulled out her mirror and checked her reflection for any imperfections. She heard a guy call her name and whistle as he passed behind her. Idiot. She didn't even turn around as she put her mirror away and hung her purse on her arm as she walked towards the building.

She headed to her locker to get her first three books of the day. She sighed in frustration. She was going to have to get herself a bigger bag. She hated carrying her books but then they did make her look smart. Great, now she was bringing herself down. She closed her locker door and glanced over when she heard a loud thud.

Mimi, a girl she recognized from English class, had dropped her books and other supplies onto the floor. She was a nice, quiet girl with curly brown hair and innocent brown eyes. She rocked at science. Someone people saw her accident and began to laugh. Mimi turned red in humiliation and quickly bent down to get her stuff. Katherine felt bad and she started to walk over when Stefan beat her to it.

"You alright?" he asked Mimi, kneeling down to help her.

She smiled shyly at him but Katherine didn't her reply. Others watched with curiosity as the scene.

When Stefan gathered her stuff, he helped her up.

"Thanks." Mimi said, having a hard time looking at his face.

"Anytime. Were you headed to class?"

"Yes, Chemistry."

"I'll walk you."

"Oh…you don't have to."

"It's not a problem. I'll carry your things."

Mimi smiled gratefully and nodded. "Thanks."

Katherine watched with some jealousy as they walked off. The other students had already turned away to their own business.

In class, she thought about Stefan. Stefan was such a caring and lovable guy, always ready to jump in and help like Matt. With her personality, others could have thought she was into bad boys and jocks. But no one seemed to make her pulse quicken like Stefan did. She didn't know if it was his gentle personality now rather than his looks…okay, they were still a factor but she could have gone with any other guy if features were the main reason. But maybe it was because he was the kind of guy girls wanted; a mixture of masculine and sensitiveness. He was in football but he was always amazing and such a gentlemen outside of the game. He was also smart was well. His strongest point being math. Stefan had always been in her same math class and he was one of the most students who raised their hands to answer the problem. But even though she loved him, Stefan didn't feel the same way. She could tell he feels awkward and tense when she's talking to him. Did she do something to him before to make him hate her? Or was fate just a son of a bitch? Either way, she was going to find out. She didn't give up to easily.

At lunch, Tyler arrived as planned.

"How about a deal?" she asked, putting her hands together.

He looked around if anybody was watching and nodded. "I'm listening."

"I'll help you win Jeremy's heart if you help me win Stefan's."

Tyler frowned. "Stefan Salvatore?"

"Is that a problem?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I was just surprised-okay whatever. But how am I going to do that?"

"Tell me everything you know about him. His likes, dislikes, parents, etc."

Tyler reached up and scratched the back of his head. "I don't really know that much about him."

Katherine stared at him in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me. He's in your team!"

"You don't talk to anybody in class!" Tyler shot back in defense. "I know a few things about him but I don't know if you consider them useful to your advantage."

Katherine stared at him for a moment. She knew Vicky was waiting for her but this was important for both Tyler and her. "Make it quick, I'm hungry."

Tyler glared at her.

Katherine rolled her eyes and apologized.

"Stefan is kind of a loner as far as I've seen. He doesn't talk much to anybody on the team or class, except for Matt now, I guess. Stefan lives like three blocks from my house and I know he has an older brother in college. No idea where but his name is Damon."

Katherine's eyes widened. Stefan had an older brother? Interesting.

"Do you know if he's with Stefan right now?" she asked.

"No."

Katherine stood there thinking about it for a moment then she nodded, smirking.

"Guess now I have to do my part."

"That's all?"

"You gave me all I needed to know. Give me your cell number and I'll text you for a meet up on Saturday."

Tyler pressed his lips together.

"What?" Katherine asked, a little irritated.

"I don't have a cell phone available with me right now. I lost it."

Katherine sighed loudly, annoyed. "Fine. Give me your house number."

He did and she nodded her approval.

"I'll see you later then." She said waving and walking away towards the cafeteria.

* * *

><p>"Bitch." Tyler mumbled.<p>

He never liked the cafeteria food. It shouldn't even be called food. He walked over to the snack bar machine and got himself a chocolate energy bar. He then went outside to eat it and get some fresh air. There, sitting on a cement table, was Matt and Jeremy. Good thing out of that was, at least, they weren't kissing. They were holding hands and talking. Tyler frowned in irritation that Jeremy was smiling at what Matt was saying. To avoid himself looking like a creeper, he leaned against the school wall and took out his Ipod from his bag, pretending to be hanging around and minding his own business. He didn't turn Ipod on so he could listen to what they were saying.

"Are you insane? How can you like pickles?" Jeremy asked, laughing.

"Have you even tried them?" Matt challenged.

"No…but I wouldn't want to."

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

"That saying is way overused, dude."

"Alright, then what do you like?"

"Mustard."

"Are you insane?" Matt mocked. "How can you like mustard?"

"Fuck you!" Jeremy said, giving Matt a playful shove.

Tyler didn't notice when Steven walked up next to him, leaning against the wall and looking over at the two boys. "Makes you sick, doesn't it?"

Tyler almost jumped in surprise. He moved away, glaring at him. "What do you want?"

Steven shrugged a clam expression on his face. "Making conversation."

"Well go make it with someone else."

"Come on, I come in peace."

Tyler wasn't convinced. He looked back over at the two boys.

"How does it feel?" Steven asked.

"How does what feel?"

"I'm sure it must be hard seeing your soul mate with your best friend. If I was you, I would have lost my self-control."

Tyler narrowed his eyes at Steven and slowly turned to face him. "Excuse me?"

The words seemed too quiet even for his ears to pick up but, somehow, the fucker, had still heard him. Or maybe it was written all over his face.

"But don't worry." Steven said, leaning off the wall and coming over to him to whisper in his ear. "It'll be our little secret."

He turned and walked away, hands in his jeans pocket like if nothing had happened.

Shit. His. Ass.

Note: Don't forget to review! Sorry for such a short chapter! I'll be updating again soon! :) I work as ideas come!


	22. How do you know?

First Time for Everything

Chapter 22

Note: Thank you all! You give me the confidence I need to keep going! :) I'd like to give a big thank you to "cole el diabolos" for his idea for yet another reason why Steven came to hate, not only Tyler, but his father as well like he does now.

PS. I mentioned the color of Steven's eyes in this chapter. I don't remember if I had mentioned them before since I can't find it so if I did and got the color wrong this time, please tell me.

Jessy: It's alright; I know life sometimes takes over haha! I'm glad you're still liking where the story is headed though! And yes, Steven is a real creeper! He turned out more creepy than I really intended but then he is one of our villains in the story :P Thanks for your review!

Aldarame: Tyler so deserves Jere! But yeah there's going to be work for him ahead. Well, Matt won't be the biggest part of the problem but you'll understand why as the chapters go on. I admit I am getting a little uncertain with Matt and Jeremy but I needed to add some drama besides Steven and the originals, you know? Can't wait to start the real Jyler action!

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><p>Tyler was trying really hard to keep in mind in class and homework. Friday was finally arrived and he wanted to do nothing more than to get out of there and go home to sleep. The full moon was this upcoming Monday and he needed all the strength he could get. He's also been avoiding even looking at Matt and Jeremy. The most closer the time came to the full moon, the less control he was of himself and could make a slip that he would forever regret. Well, he wouldn't hurt Jeremy. In fact, he was scared of going right up to him and just smashing their lips together and erasing every single trace of Matt on him. But that wouldn't make him get any closer to his goal.<p>

The bell rang, indicating school was done for the day. Students around him cheered loudly and quickly shoved their papers and books into the bags before running out the door, ignoring what the teacher was trying to say over the noise. Tyler saw the teacher give up and sigh. Tyler felt bad for him. He then got up and packed his things before heading to the door. He was stopped by Mr. Johnson, his Calculus teacher. Tyler stopped and turned around.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Tyler nodded and walked over to his desk.

"You are a smart kid, Tyler. You really are. I've talked to your other teachers and they have a good impression of you too. Do you think you would be interested in a scholarship? You are planning to go to college right?"

"Kaplan so far. Then UCLA."

"Good! So you think you might be interested in the scholarship? I know your family is well off but I wasn't sure if your parents wanted to pay for every semester and tuition after high school."

"I'm not sure. Guess I could give it a try."

"Good, here's the application. Bring it back when you're done filling it out."

Tyler took it and thanked him. "Have a good weekend."

"You too."

Tyler left and sighed, looking down at the application.

He was tempted to throw it in the trash. Tyler wanted to go for an art career but not for engineering or anything like that. He wanted to do real art, draw and express what he wanted, when he wanted. One thing standing in his war; his father. He thought art was for girls and people who weren't good at life. One day his father found out about a secret stash of drawing utensils and sketch books with some work in them. He had gotten a face of disgust and yelled at him for saving (and quote) "pieces of worthless shit" in his room. He had them slapped him hard across the face, slipping his lip before walking off. Tyler never saw them again but he imagined he must have thrown them away. That was four years ago and since then, he has never drawn, afraid that his father might find it and how he would react. But, hey, life sucked that way.

Tyler went to his locker to leave the unnecessary books there before he left. There was no football practice today. According to the announcement made this morning, Tanner had called in sick but would be back Monday. Sucks to be him. Tyler slammed the locker door shut and headed for the exit. He rounded a corner and stopped when he saw…him. Jeremy Gilbert.

Shit his ass twice.

Tyler was about to turn back but it was too late; Jeremy turned and saw him. He froze and his eyes widened.

They stood staring at each other in tense, awkward, silence. Who knew how long they had stayed that way before he heard himself suddenly break it.

"Hey." He said carefully.

Jeremy blinked a few times; surprised he even greeted him instead of just walking away. "Hey."

He turned away and placed the book inside his backpack and zipped it up, swinging it onto his back. He closed his locker and turned back to him.

Tyler started to get that feeling. The feeling he guessed came from the wolf and made him want to jump the boy, not caring if they were in the hallway of the school.

"I have to go." Jeremy said after a moment. He turned away and headed for the door.

"I'm sorry!" Tyler blurted out.

This made Jeremy stop. He didn't turn back to face him but he didn't move.

"For what?"

"For that night. I didn't mean anything I said."

Jeremy didn't say anything. His phone began to ring in his pocket.

"Don't worry about it."

He walked out without turning back. He had whispered those words so quietly that, if he had been human, he would not have heard them. But by them, Tyler was not sure if he had been forgiven.

* * *

><p>Steven arrived home and flung his back pack careless onto the floor. He heard Klaus and Elijah in the living room. He walked in and saw there were watching some old western movie about cowboys.<p>

"Remembering the days?" Steven teased as he came around and sat down next to Klaus.

Klaus ignored his joke. "I don't think it was a good idea to blackmail your enemy so soon."

"Don't start."

"You have to be careful. The werewolf could mark you without knowing if he feels threatened."

"Mark?"

Klaus looked at him like if he was stupid. "When the wolf itself keeps you in mind to come track you down and kill you during full moon. Ring a bell?"

Steven didn't say anything, just narrowed his eyes.

"You have to know these things, boy, or you're in trouble." Klaus said, turning back to the movie.

They all heard when his father's car pull up on the drive way. A moment later, he stepped inside the house.

"I assure you, Mr. Lockwood, those people have no right to prevent you from doing anything."

Steven turned inhumanly fast to see his father walking past the living room, holding his phone by his ear, brief case in hand.

"It's their problem if they don't want it on that date. It's a matter of religious opinion, not political."

Steven got up and walked quietly over to his father's office, listening. The Lockwood his father mentioned was not Tyler but the guy's father. He could tell by the older, deeper voice coming through the speaker.

A dark shadow seemed to fall over Steven as he stared at the back of his father's large desk chair.

Awhile later, his father ended his call and turned in his chair. He jumped in surprise when he saw his son standing at the door.

"You scared me." he said, laughing a little. The man stopped when he saw his son's expression. Steven's green eyes had turned cold, his jaw clenched and body ridged, fingers clenched out at his sides like a cat's who was ready to strike.

"What's wrong, son?" Mr. Dorlan asked, eyeing him in a little fear.

"Why are you helping him?"

Steven did not sound like himself in his own ears. It sounded dark, filled with menace and warning of violence.

His father heard it too and he swallowed. To avoid looking at him in the eye, he turned and got out papers from his brief case and pretended to read them over.

"Who?"

"Don't play stupid with me! I heard him! It was Richard Lockwood and I wanna know why the fuck you're helping him?" he snarled.

Mr. Dorlan was shocked by his son's language and turned to face him but shocked and frightened by what he saw. Black veins had appeared around Steven's now black eyes.

Steven lunged and pinned his father to wall, bearing his teeth in fury.

"How could you help someone who tore our family apart? Are you that fucking obsessed with your money? Are you?"

Steven squeezed his hands together around his father's throat firmly, making the other man start to gasp for air.

"Have you no self-respect? Have you forgotten who destroyed our family? I didn't think you were _that _stupid!"

Richard Lockwood, the mayor of Mystic Falls, loved by everyone. Steven never really liked the guy. He didn't know why but he never would have imagined how much one day he would have come to hate Richard and his son.

It was a summer's night a few weeks before seventh grade began. He had been asleep in his bed when he had woken up with the slam from the entrance door. He then heard noises coming from the living room. Quiet laugher and talking. Steven, confused, got up from bed and went to the door and opened it.

"_Shhh, he's going to hear us." his mother scolded, giggling._

"_Who cares?"_

It was not his father but he hadn't been able to recognize the voice yet. He then went downstairs and began hearing moaning and more giggling from his mom. It came from his parent's bedroom. He walked over and saw it was not fully closed.

"Mom? Dad?" he called into the dark room, wondering what was going on.

He heard his mother gasp. When his eyes had adjusted to the darkness inside, he then recognized Richard Lockwood, almost naked and on top of his mother.

He ran. He ran as fast as he can to his room and locked it, ignoring the calls from his mother outside of the door. She kept saying it was not what it seemed and she would never do it again and that she loved his father. Steven had just placed on his earphones and let the tears flow down his cheeks. It was the last time he had ever cried.

Eventually, his mother gave up and he knew nothing after that. The next morning, his parents were downstairs, his mother cooking omelets on the stove. Her eyes widened when she saw him enter but didn't say anything. Steven avoided her eyes.

"_Good morning, sport. How'd you sleep?" his father asked._

_Steven just sat down at the table. "Okay."_

When they had begun eating silently, the tension got too much for him. The memory of what he had seen. He knew what they were going to do. He had learned about sex in school so he wasn't clueless. His mother had cheated on her father. Steven suddenly burst into tears and blurted to his dad what he saw. Fights and fights were all he heard after those days. His mother couldn't convince his father to forgive her. He had trusted her and loved her with his life and she had betrayed him even if Richard and she had not gone all the way, the intention had still been there.

His father kicked his mother out and a few days later, the papers were signed. Steven watched as she was pulled away from him from authorities outside of the trail building in Oakton. But the thing that hurt the most, she never tried to contact him again. Steven came to hate Richard for even coming into his house with his mother like that. It was also his fault his family was a mess now. They were both the reason why he became what he was now and nothing in the world could change that. Tyler was like old man, arrogant with the idea he that the world revolved around him. But after he was got changed by Travis, he realized being a vampire wasn't a bad thing. He was able to take away what he had wanted; pain.

"That's enough, Steven. Let him go." Klaus' voice said from behind him.

Steven ignored him, his gaze falling upon the man's throat, the vein pulsing underneath the skin. He began to feel his fangs coming out as the hunger grew rapidly throughout his whole body. Without another thought, he sunk his teeth into the skin, loving the feel of the warm blood flowing onto his tongue. His mind went blank. Suddenly, he was pulled back a strong pair of hands. He tried to grasp onto the body in front of him but he didn't stand a chance. He was thrown to someone else and he struggled violently, trying to scratch at the guy. He didn't recognize who was the guy was and he figured he was trying to get the blood for himself. The blonde, who had pulled him away from his meal, was kneeling down over the fallen body. He was telling him something before he got up and stood up to face them. The blonde came over slowly and he struggled harder against the other vampire. The blonde grabbed onto his chin and made him look into his face.

"Clam down and sleep."

Steven tried to reject him but he could feel the powerful energy of his authority hit him like a ton of bricks. He immediately calmed down and his eyes got heavy. His struggling stopped completely and he gave himself into the darkness of sleep.

* * *

><p>He had apologized. He sounded like he meant it too. Jeremy lay down on his bed, staring at his window, expecting, for some reason, for Tyler to appear.<p>

Jeremy had felt bad for Tyler but he almost felt something else that scared him a little; safe and happy. Happy that he took back what he said that day at the swimming hole. Did that mean he accepted him as his mate? Was finally giving into his nature?

Jeremy admits to himself he was scared of Tyler's nature. A wolf's behavior was possessive and rough, something he wasn't used to. He may have been bullied practically all his life but no one had actually touched him to hurt him. What if Jeremy didn't give in? Something told him Tyler would understand but not the wolf. He would come after him, ready to take what was his, even if it had to be by force. He would hurt him with no mercy, knowing Jeremy had decided to learn the hard way.

Jeremy's phone rang; it was his mom. He sighed and answered it.

"Hey, honey! How was your first week?"

Their talk lasted for about an hour. Mostly Jeremy answering his mother's questions about his classes and how people were at the school. Jeremy has heard people talk about him, mostly the guys. They say mean things about him and Matt to one another and whisper names loud enough for him to hear. Of course he wouldn't let his mother know about this. He didn't even know how. She had so much already in her mind, he couldn't add another emotional news onto her.

There was a knock at his door.

"Come in." he called.

"Hey, it's me."

Jeremy sat up, eyes wide. "Aunt Jenna?"

She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. "Were you sleeping?"

"No, just thinking. What's up?" he asked, motioning for her to sit down.

"I just wanted to ask how things were going with you. How was your first week?"

"Good, I guess. Getting to know my way around and learning more things."

"Were you able to get your art class?"

Jeremy felt his face light up like a Christmas tree. "I did. I love the teacher, very nice and she's got quite the talent I envy."

"I'm sure you'll be better by the end of the year!"

He laughed. "Hopefully."

Jenna smiled at him. "You know I'm here if you need to talk right? I know you've got Katherine for that and I'm so happy you two have come together so well. But I offer you my open arms too if you ever have something maybe you don't want her to know. Or just for any reason, you know I'm here."

He licked his lips and sighed. "I actually have a question."

Jenna nodded, listening attentively.

"Back at home, I had this girlfriend who was in love with me. Problem was…I wasn't sure if I liked her back at the beginning. She was very kind and I felt safe but then…there was this other chick."

"Ohhhh no."

Jeremy nodded. "This chick was in love with me too but her personality was more badass type. She was trouble and if I knew I got with her, things would get complicated."

"But you fell for her instead anyway right?"

Jeremy looked down at his hands. "No, I mean, I didn't know who to choose."

Jenna sighed. "So you were confused between two girls."

"I suppose so but the question I wanted to ask you was…how do you know? How do you know who to choose?"

"It's all up to what you feel. Each person will make you feel different but it's all based on chemical connection and destiny. Being a protective aunt and wanting the best for you, I would have told you to stay with the first girl-

Jeremy laughed.

"-but like I said, it's up to you and how you feel. In the end, your heart will be feeling more for attracted to only one of them." Jenna shrugged. "It's only natural. I mean you can't have both of them."

He nodded. "That's true."

Jenna leaned over and kissed his forehead. She then pulled him into a hug.

"Matt is a good kid, Jeremy. But you never know; fate has already set our lives before us."

Jeremy's face heated but couldn't bring himself to protest. By the sound of Jenna's voice, she had no problem with them being together.

She released him and smiled at his flushed face. "You'll make the right decision."

The doorbell rang downstairs.

"I'll get it for you." Jenna said.

She then stood up and walked over to the door, pausing when she opened it. "Keep the door open."

Suddenly, Katherine's giggling was heard from the hall.

"Bitch." Jeremy mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Note: Don't forget to review!


	23. Secret Admirer

First Time for Everything

Chapter 23

Note: Thanks you guys for the confidence! I'm working on another little something at the same time because you guys deserve it! :) Big thank yous to cole el diabolos for his idea on Tyler throwing a party, to the Wonderful Mistique for Tyler to become Jeremy's secret admirer, to Simbawriter82 for idea on Tyler being a clingy and cuddly character, to Toulip Fontana for her idea on buying art supplies for Jere, and emeyers for the idea of Steven… starting trouble at the party. Don't want to spoil it :P And more big thank yous to Simbawriter82 for more gentle and cuddling Tyler ideas and to emeyers for the what the "favor" could be. I could not think of anything else but smut but that would not be good enough reason lol.

PS. I don't feel confident with Stefan's thoughts. Tell me how I did and if you think I could make it better, I'd love to know some ideas! Thank you!

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><p>It took all morning after her usual routine to choose the perfect outfit to meet Damon. Since she didn't know how he acted or what he looked it, she made it easier for herself in the end, and chose black skinny jeans and a royal blue button down shirt; nothing too provocative but still sexy as the jeans hugged her curves. She topped it off with low heels and black earrings. She added her perfume and checked her make up in the mirror, rehearsing quietly to herself what she was going to say. When she was done, she made sure Jeremy was still in his room. She already felt some guilt in keeping the Tyler Lockwood deal from her, she wouldn't want any more to add if she had to lie about where she was going. She went down the stairs, making as less noise as possible as she went to the living room to tell her aunt she would be going out to hang out with Vicky. Don't get her wrong, she didn't like lying to Jenna either but at least she wasn't involved in the messy situation.<p>

She had remembered where Stefan's house was (she is a bit of a stalker) from last year and arrived ten minutes later in front of the Salvatore residence. She took in a few deep breaths to calm her nerves and checked her reflection before she got out and headed over to the door. She knocked and waited, keeping a small, casual smile on her face. The door opened a moment later and there stood Stefan in a pair of sweat pants and an old washed grey t-shirt that showed off his figure.

"Remember what you're here for!" she yelled in her mind at herself.

Stefan's eyes widened when he saw her. "Katherine?"

"Good afternoon, Stefan. Sorry for the bother but I need help with Trig and I heard from a good friend of mine that your brother was in town and was a wiz at math. I was wondering if he could tutor me."

"And so are you but sadly I can't ask you because it wouldn't be part of plan. And now I'm thinking too much." She thought.

Stefan stared at her like if she had spoken Chinese. He frowned deeply and turned around, calling Damon's name.

"Come in." he said.

Katherine thanked him and stepped inside. Stefan closed the door behind her as she checked the house out. It was pretty big and nice like she expected.

Katherine, the girl that was always on his mind, was here. In his house. He would have been jumping up and down but there was a problem; she wasn't here to see him but to see his brother, Damon. Stefan mentally cursed the person who told her about his devil of a brother. Yeah, he had not been very nice the times she has tried to talk to him but he couldn't help it, he was shy with her but also he was a little scared of getting hurt. He knew how girls like Katherine could be but she has never made him feel this way before.

"What?" Damon asked, annoyed, from upstairs.

Katherine looked up and saw him. Like expected, she must have melted. He saw her mouth drop open slight. A wave of jealousy filled his body and at that moment hated his brother now more than ever. That asshole got everything he wanted without even trying.

Katherine caught Damon's eye and he stared at her, his gaze looking her over.

"You have a visitor." Stefan mumbled, glaring murderously at his brother.

"Yay for me." Damon said, putting on his usual charming smile and coming down the stairs.

He went up to Katherine and teasingly kissed the back of her hand. Katherine smiled at him.

"I'm Damon Salvatore but I guess you must have known that already since you wanted to see me."

Son of a bitch.

"I'll be in my room if anyone needs me." he added quietly. "Even though I doubt it."

Stefan went up the stairs, feeling angry like never before. He wasn't going to give his brother another last laugh.

Katherine stared into Damon's confused and disbelieved face.

"You want me to _what_ now?" he asked.

Katherine sipped at the red wine Damon has brought for her. They were both sitting on the couch next to each other. Damon had probably gotten the idea she was _that _kind of girl. He wouldn't blame him for first sight judgments.

Katherine smiled at him sweetly. "I want to pretend I come here for tutoring at least three times a week. I need to win Stefan over. I've tried to do that myself but your brother is a very stubborn person."

Damon rolled his eyes. "No kidding but why me? You could have chosen any other guy at your school for this."

Katherine's smile widened. "You're the closest relation to Stefan. If you're worried about money, don't worry. I'll pay you for your time."

Damon thought about this. After a moment, he nodded. "How long did you want this to happen?"

"When do you have to go back to school?"

"September fifth."

Shit. That was a little more than a week away. Could she make her plan work in such a short time?

"If it helps, I think this plan can work." Damon commented.

Katherine's eyes rose to meet him. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Jealousy is a powerful thing. A person can only withstand so much."

She glanced over at the stairs where Stefan went up. "Problem is…I don't know one hundred percent if he even likes me back in the slightest. Like I said, I've tried to win him over on my own."

"Better to keep trying than give up and have what ifs."

Katherine focused back on Damon and smiled again. "If I didn't know any better, I can say you're going to make a great father someday."

Before Damon could say anything, she stood up and reached out to shake Damon's hands. She couldn't help but at the same time look the guy over again. She admitted the guy was more gorgeous than his brother was but he would never make her feel like Stefan did.

Damon looked at her hand in surprise. Something told her, she was the first girl who wasn't melting at his feet. But then he stood up and shook her hand.

"I have some other business to attend to. I'll text you tonight."

Damon simply nodded, looking at her as if trying to figure her out. She then headed for the door, Damon behind her. He opened the door for her and she thanked him before walking out and going to her car.

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><p>Katherine was very late, making Tyler start to get anxious. What if she had decided to change her mind? But Tyler relaxed when he spotted her heading his way. He was still surprised, out of all places, she had chosen to meet up at the park. She sat down, setting her purse down on her lap.<p>

"Sorry for being late. I paid Stefan's brother a visit." She explained.

"And?"

She winked at him. "Let's keep our minds on what we came here for, shall we? Now, thanks to your little stunt back at the swimming hole, Jeremy doesn't like you. Probably not at all."

"Thanks." Tyler said dryly.

"Just saying the truth here. I've been thinking and I came up with some ideas but we'll take this one by one."

Tyler nodded, listening intently.

"Coming from Jeremy himself, he says he likes romance. No shocker there, I wish I could have some of that myself-okay getting sidetracked!"

Tyler rolled his eyes but couldn't help but feel amused.

She continued, "Now I know he's not a girl but I know romance when I see it. He didn't give me specific things but I know a few things that he'll like. For example, I know he loves to draw. He once showed me his work and one word for it is "next Picasso"."

Tyler's mouth dropped open. "Wait, he draws?"

Katherine nodded. "And has quite the talent."

Tyler drifted into thought about this. He loves to draw too. Though it's been awhile since he's even drawn a stick figure outside of school, he still missed the feeling of expressing himself onto paper.

"Tyler?" Katherine asked a little loudly.

"Oh sorry. I was just thinking. I like drawing myself."

This time her mouth dropped open. "You're kidding."

"No."

Katherine nodded, impressed. "Wow you two were meant to be."

Tyler turned red at her comment and cleared his throat. "So what else did you think of?"

Katherine smirked at his sudden act of shyness. "How about you become…his little secret admirer? That's a good way to open his mind a little."

Tyler licked his lips in thought. "Like sending gifts and stuff at his house?"

"And at his locker." Katherine added. "But yes you have the right idea. So for now about we first start with that?"

Tyler nodded after a moment. "Sure but what should I give him first?"

"Well he likes to draw, how about some art supplies? The only thing he used is a pencil right now."

"Okay. Thanks for helping me. When do we move on to step two?"

Katherine patted him gently on the shoulder. "Let's just keep our minds on the first one."

She then got up and blew him a kiss before walking away. "Later, cousin in law!"

Tyler turned red again and glared at her back. Tyler stayed on bench long after Katherine left, thinking of everything Katherine said and how he could make this "secret admirer" thing work. He wasn't truly in love with Jeremy but he was sure this wouldn't be too hard for him to manage. Tyler got up and walked to his car.

Right now, what he needed was a phone.

* * *

><p>Steven remembered too clearly the day. It had been the summer after sophomore year. Steven had left town and gotten drunk after he had seen his girlfriend in bed with another guy. His day had been pretty shitty. In the city of Jefferson he had seen a club that caught his eye; The Crimson Mist. From the long line of excited yet impatient customers, he guessed it must have been pretty popular. Steven's curiosity getting the better of him, he decided to check it out. Even though, in the end, he had to end up parking five blocks away, it was worth it. The only way you got in without waiting in line was if you were on the list. Steven didn't even know about this place so he knew he wasn't. So he bribed. Thank god for money. He gave the security man three hundred bucks and Steven went in. He felt a triumph when he heard some people in line complain about him doing that. Steven couldn't care less; his mind was set on the bar and maybe getting lucky tonight.<p>

He pushed his way through the huge dance floor of bodies and over to the bar.

"_I.D., sir?" the bartender asked, leaning over so they can hear each other. _

_Steven grimaced. "Can't you give me a break tonight?"_

_The bartender rolled his eyes, as if expecting this. "No proof, no drinks, sir. Not that you need any more. I can already tell you've been down that road tonight."_

"_Fine. Give me a Pepsi."_

"_Coming right up."_

While the guy went to serve his drink, he turned around to look at the people dancing. His gaze went around the night club too, his eyes roaming the high ceiling and seeing there was even a second floor. He wondered what they had up there.

"_Your Pepsi, sir." the bartender announced behind him. _

Steven nodded him a thanks and took a long swallow of his drink. That's he saw him; Travis, his creator. His charming dark looks very conspicuous even through the tight dance floor. Travis and he locked eyes and Steven suddenly like if they were the only two guys in the entire world. Back then, he had never doubted about his sexuality, he was straight as they can be. But Travis could have told him jump off a cliff and he would have done it.

Travis smirked and motioned him over to him with one finger, as if expecting him to do it without question or hesitation. And Steven did. He laid down a twenty, leaving his drink on the table without a second thought, his eyes never leaving the mysterious stranger. While Steven had walked over, his mind practically screamed at him to stop and leave, that this guy was trouble. But the voice was drowned out with every step he drew closer to the other male. Travis held out his hand, his expression serious now. Steven took it without a word and surprisingly didn't protest as the guy drew him close. He was gorgeous, an exotic look even Klaus couldn't match. Deep green eyes that could still be seen even in the dim light of the building, a round face, making him look more innocent than he probably was, short brown hair, and a lean body that Steven could feel himself pressed against even through the jeans. The guy looked no older than twenty five. They didn't talk right away. Steven had let Travis touch his face, like is memorizing every detail of his features. Hold him gently like glass. But by the end of the night, he would come to realize Travis wouldn't be as gentle as he started out.

"_Pretty." Travis said. _With that they shared their first kiss. Steven's chest had tightened with shock. His mind was telling him this was wrong. He wasn't gay and just because this guy was butt ass hot, he couldn't give in. The next thing Steven knew, Travis was slipping his tongue into his mouth and slipping his hand up his shirt with good confidence. Steven let out a deep moan, his body feeling hot under the other's touch. Travis pulled away to get air before kissing his way down his neck, sucking and biting firmly enough for Steven to feel a light sting of pain over the pleasure. But the thing that he never thought would ever happen in his life, was when the vampire slipped his hand from his nipples and down to unbutton his jeans and dip his hand inside to rub at his embarrassing erection. Things went on from there as Steven expected and he gave in willingly like if they had been lovers for years. Before he could come in his own pants, Travis pulled away and asked for his name. Steven told him his and learned the guy's name.

Steven learned what was on the second floor a moment later. It was filled with guest rooms which Steven guessed where for sex. Sure enough he was right when Travis found an empty one at the end of the hall. The guy had wasted no time pinning him to the bed and practically ripping his clothes with his hands. When they had finished, he bit him. It hurt like fuck. Steven gasped and tried to push him away but it was like trying to push off a bolder. Travis left only the minimum left so he wouldn't die. He had stared down at him in thought, a small smirk upon his lips that were stained with his blood.

"_Do you want to die tonight, Steven?" he asked._

Steven had no energy left to even answer. He could only get a small whimper out but begging for his life silently with his eyes. He has never felt so scared or vulnerable in his life than at that moment. Travis stared at him for a moment before he ran a finger down his cheek.

"_There was a reason you come here. I saw it in your eyes; your pain, your humiliation, your regret. I can take that away. It's so easy."_

Steven felt a tear roll down his face. The guy was going to kill him. Travis saw the tear and fear on his face but didn't care. He bit his wrist and placed it on Steven's mouth. He tried to get away from it but he didn't have the energy. But then he tasted it and it was like tasting honey; so sweet on his tongue. He began to suck on it, too overcome by the taste. After a moment, Travis pulled away his hand.

"_Don't worry, baby, I'll make it quick." _

Without even waiting, Travis grabbed both sides of his face and twisted it. He knew nothing more.

Steven didn't know how long he stayed dead but when he awoke, Travis was looking out the window in the room. Suddenly loud sounds were in his head at once, his gums and head throbbing hard and he moaned in pain, clutching at his head.

"_It's time for your first meal." Travis said. _

It sounded like he had yelled it right in his ear and he groaned loudly.

"_Shut up! Don't talk so loud!"_

"_Come." _

Travis came over and pulled him up. He felt dizzy and held onto Travis to keep from falling. Voices and cars from outside the room were still with him and he buried his face into the guy's chest.

"_Make it stop! Too much noise!"_

Travis sighed. _"Stay here then. I'll bring you something to eat."_

Travis laid him down on the bed. Steven grabbed a pillow and covered his ears with it. It felt like hours later when Travis arrived. He brunette touched his back gently.

"_Bon appetite."_

Steven sat up and looked over, shocked to find there was a girl there. She looked calm but confused at the same time as she looked between the two of them.

"_W-what…?" he asked, horrified. _

"_If you want to feel better, you need to do it for now and for the rest of your life."_

Steven shook his head. _"No, no way. I can't do that. I don't want to turn her!"_

Travis rolled his eyes. _"You don't have to. You just need her blood." _

Steven felt in a fucking nightmare. This all was a fucking nightmare. Steven stood up, naked, from the bed and backed up until his back hit the wall. The girl saw this and she gasped, turned red and lowering her eyes quickly to the floor.

"_You can't make me!" Steven yelled, glaring at Travis. _

The brunette shrugged and went over to the girl. He grabbed her neck firmly and made her head turn to the other side. She closed her eyes firmly but didn't make any movements to struggle.

"_No, I can't. Whether you truly want to live or not is up to you. Your body naturally wants you to live. That's what the gum pain is for."_

Travis sliced a cut onto the side of her neck. The girl whimpered and pressed her lips together in pain. Blood flowed from the wound, slowly sliding down her neck and onto the dress she wore. Steven's eyes immediately focused on the red liquid. He took a deep inhale without thinking and the scent made his eye flutter in want. He took a step toward but paused, his human conscious kicking in. But it wasn't strong enough. He felt his fangs sliding out. He was hungry…and he took it. When he tasted blood for the first time, the world seemed to fade around him. He was drinking with so much desperation, like if it was water. Even after he took the last drop and the girl's limp body fell forward onto his, he still sucked, hoping some was still there.

"_You're done, kid. Pull back."_

Steven did, glaring down at the wound in frustration. He needed more of he felt like he would die.

"_There's more downstairs. You have to lure them out into the alley first."_

Travis had taught him the way to work compulsion that night, the way to feed without just tearing skin, and how to control your vampire instincts to blend into society.

Steven had called his father to tell him he would be out of town for a while for his own reasons. His father didn't approve but let him get his way under the condition Steven would have to call in the morning and evening to check in. In all, he had stayed in Jefferson for three weeks, learning and controlling his new self. You would think one would hate his creator for ruining his life but as time passed by he found out he was able to turn off the pain himself and by distractions from sex and blood. Within two weeks he was better and was able to go out to find his own meals on his own without Travis. That's when he found Klaus and Elijah. His eye had been caught by Klaus but first mistook him for a human for some reason. He went up to him as the blonde hung out at the tables, as his gazed absent mindedly at the dance floor.

Steven had gone up to them to flirt, not really caring which of the two guys he got. But when Klaus turned around to face him, Steven's used his charm and tried to flirt. The vampire stared at him like if he had gone mad, obviously capturing his presence of a vampire. Klaus looked over at his brother in question. Elijah had just shrugged.

"_Please forgive him, great one. He's a newborn."_

Steven glanced at Travis who stood by the table, his head down and arm across his chest, a posture you would see when addressing someone royal.

Klaus smiled and looked at Steven. _"I wouldn't have noticed. This one seems to have good control of himself."_

Travis let his hand fall to his side and looked up at Klaus. _"I taught him sir. I am the one who created him."_

"_For what reason?"_

"_My honest answer would be for amusement."_

Steven glared at Travis for that.

"_I see. Either way you had good taste." _Klaus said turning to focus on Steven now. _"My name is Klaus. This is my brother, Elijah. We are the oldest vampires in existence."_

Steven quickly stood up, shocked and a little embarrassed for his act earlier. _"I'm sorry, I didn't know-_

Klaus had just waved if off like nothing and told him to sit while he sent for Travis to fetch them something for the three of them to drink. As they talked at the table, Steven began to realize something. Even though Klaus wasn't as sexy as Travis one, he was a lot more exciting.

Steven don't know if they were playing with him or not but the two originals decided to test him for his loyalty to them and their kind in general. Steven accepted to do them the favor of capturing the victims for them. The lazy asses. But he guessed it was better than killing himself by stepping out into the sun without his ring on. He had done what he had to do. He had been doing the same thing for days, why would this be any different? He had gotten a total of fifteen girls in a matter of three hours. If that included sex he didn't know. The two brothers were satisfied. Klaus told him he would repay the favor. Steven couldn't think of anything so he told him he would come back to him on that in the future. Though that didn't stop the threesome from happening moments later.

Coming back home, he compelled his father from the extra time he decided to spent in Jefferson. He had ignored his texts and phone calls from everyone at school, not caring if they knew where he had gone. He didn't give a detailed explanation about his sudden disappearance when he came back to town. All he said was he needed some time off and went to visit some relatives. People noticed the difference in him the second they saw him but he would always shrug it off until they had given up on asking. When he went back to school he had come to know Tyler wasn't entirely human anymore either. Though he was not a vampire. Weeks of research and patient watching and he got his answer. Another perfect reason to hate the Lockwoods.

Note: Don't forget to review! Okay, so I don't think that was a great chapter. I waited and tried but I hope you guys still ended up enjoying it anyway :P Any tips for improvement besides my grammar mistakes is always welcome! I can never seem to find all of those mistakes :_


	24. One Week Later

First Time for Everything

Chapter 24

Note: Thank you everyone! You guys are incredible! I'm so relived and happy that you guys thought last chapter was great! Also I have an announcement to make. I'm not 100% sure about it yet but it seems that my tonsil sugary will be done this Friday morning. I'm hearing the recovery is going to take about 2 weeks but I'm telling you guys this because I don't know if I'll be able to update the first week or so of the recovery. We'll see how it goes but hopefully it won't be so bad that I can't even type anything. But like I said I'm not sure, they could cancel it for another time. I'll update on that if it does actually happen this Friday but just in case I'll try to update one more time before then :) Thank you to The Wonderful Mistique for the help with the idea for Matt's reaction and Simbawriter82 for Mason giving Tyler another help talk!

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><p>It's been a week since gifts from an anonymous person had been arriving. Katherine said they must be from a "secret admirer" when the first gift arrived; brand new art supplies. Little expensive looking too.<p>

"How do you know they aren't just from Matt?" Jeremy had asked, suspiciously.

"Why wouldn't Matt just hand it to you in person?"

"Because...because…he wanted it to be a surprise." he finished lamely.

"Right." Katherine drawled out. "_Anyway_, whoever it was has good taste."

"Whoever it is must be from art class." Jeremy said thoughtfully.

One gift a day arrived at the door every day after that. Jenna was told of the art supplies and volunteered to keep an ear out for the doorbell or a knock. She would instantly run to the window to try to see who it was.

"Why do you guys want to spoil the fun?" Katherine asked, annoyed the following day.

"I just want to see who it is so I can thank her." Jeremy explained, hoping it was a her, at least.

Katherine rolled her eyes.

The first day was the art supplies, followed by big red roses with a bear almost the size of his bed (which, admittedly, made him feel a little like a girl), new headphones and a fifty dollar gift card to Itunes inside a basket with different varieties of candy and chocolates, a stereo system for Ipod, an Axe "Dark Temptation" body deodorant (which did smell really good), and the newest Call of Duty game for his PSP. But the one that caught Jeremy's attention out of them all, was the one he got that day after school; a drawn picture of a lake over the horizon sun behind the trees. The person had shaded perfectly and had colored the sketch inside a gift bag with white tissue paper. Along with it was a hand written note.

_Jeremy, _

_I hope you've enjoyed your gifts. I hope you also liked the picture of the lake I made. It's of the lake here in Mystic Falls, one of my favorite places I went as a child. Sorry if all this is creepy to you, I don't mean you any harm. I just want you to know that there's someone else in town that cares about you too. You're a very special person and I hope one day that we can actually meet._

"Ohhh my god!"

Jeremy jumped when Jenna and Katherine stood on each side of him, looking down at the note over his shoulder.

Jeremy folded it, suddenly feeling embarrassed. His family here knows but Matt doesn't. He felt guilty not telling Matt about it but he decided to tell him the next time he saw him.

"Someone is so head over heels for you, cousin." Katherine said, smirking.

"Well, she must also know that I'm with Matt. All the school does."

"One cannot help but follow the heart." Jenna said, sighing with a dreamy smile on her face. Jeremy shook his head at his aunt's comment.

"Let me see the sketch again." Katherine said.

Jeremy gave it to her and she looked down at it for a moment.

"Has quite a talent like you do, who knew?"

"What?" Jeremy asked, staring at his cousin intently.

"What what?" she asked, innocently.

Jeremy's eyes widened. "You know who this is?"

"Why would I know? I don't really talk to anyone at school besides Matt sometimes."

"Then why did you say "who knew?"?"

"Well, this person obviously has spent a lot on you. Usually people who think of money value aren't artistic in my opinion."

Jeremy kept studying her, but there were no signs of weakness. He sighed and Katherine gave him back the sketch.

"One thing for sure, the person knows how to run. Nobody has seen anyone seconds after the door rings. It's like a ghost is leaving me these things."

"You'll meet one day, don't stress over it. I'm hungry. Is there any pizza left, Aunt Jenna?"

"A few slices in the box left."

"Good."

Jenna smiled at him encouragingly and headed upstairs to her room.

When Matt arrived after work, Jeremy was nervous about how his boyfriend would react. He hasn't seen him jealous since they got together but one never knew.

"Hey, Jere." Matt greeted when Jeremy opened the door and let him in. Katherine and Jenna greeted Matt and the boy blushed, feeling embarrassed. Matt hasn't gotten use to Jeremy's family knowing about them. Inside his room, Jeremy prepared to tell Matt the gifts he's gotten for the past week.

"I have to tell you something." Jeremy began.

"Mmm?"

Matt wrapped his arms around Jeremy from behind and pressed a small kiss on the side of his neck.

"Um…" Jeremy trailed off, shivering at Matt' touch. There were times when he almost felt uncomfortable. Jeremy was still trying to feel more than just brotherly feelings for the older boy.

"One sec, I do have to tell you something first." Jeremy said, breaking away.

Matt's disappointment was seen on his face but it quickly changed. He nodded, giving him a small smile. Jeremy held up one finger for Matt to wait and went over to his closet to retrieve the gifts. Matt watched, wide eyed, as he placed all of them onto his bed.

Jeremy sighed. "These were given to me."

Matt walked over to the bed to see the objects more closely. He lightly touched the huge teddy bear. "Katherine?"

Jeremy shook his head slowly. Matt glanced over at him.

"Jenna? Your mom?"

Jeremy shook his head again.

Matt frowned. "Then who?"

"Honestly I don't know but…they're from someone at school I'm guessing. At first I thought it was from you but then Katherine was right when she said you could have just given it to me in person."

Matt got a dark look on his face.

Uh oh. That's not a good thing.

Matt looked down at the gifts, the expression unsure. Jeremy didn't know if it was anger or not.

"I see." Matt said after a moment. "Someone likes you…a lot."

Jeremy licked his lips, thinking carefully about what to say next. Matt picked up a half empty box of chocolate. Jeremy felt a little embarrassed but he was a sucker for that sweet treat. Matt's dark look faded and he looked almost regretful.

"This person is able to buy you things…while I can't."

Jeremy swallowed. "Material things don't matter to me."

"But it would still be nice to buy you something at least once in a while."

"But you need to take care of the house and your sister. I can never be more important than her."

Matt didn't say anything. He didn't look at Jeremy. Neither boy said anything for a long moment. The only sound was the T.V. and dishes being washed downstairs.

"I should go, I'm getting really tired." Matt said. "I'll text you after work. I have to work early tomorrow."

"I'm sorry if I said anything to-

Matt raised a hand gave Jeremy a small smile. "You didn't. I'm just tired."

The older boy walked over and gave him a kiss on the forehead before walking away.

Shit.

* * *

><p>After Tyler left the day's gift at the Gilbert residence, he had gone to the Grill for something to eat before heading home.<p>

Tyler closed the door behind him and locked it. His uncle's voice rang from the living room. "I need to talk to you."

The teen rolled his eyes but didn't protest. He was sitting down on the arm chair with a book from father's book shelf in his hand. Mason closed the book when he came in.

"Sit, please." He said.

Tyler did, setting his backpack on the floor. "What is it?"

Mason's face was calm but at the same time serious. "I was wanting to explain to you more things about our kind."

"Thought I knew everything I needed to."

Mason shook his head. "I'm going to be direct with you in all this. I'll start out with some werewolf conditions. Some you'll know but I'll still go over them."

"…Fine."

Mason thought about something for a minute. Then he leaned forward in his chair and placed the book on the wooden table in front of him.

"You usually first turn into a werewolf when the person triggers it. I killed someone so I got changed for example. Your father told me about your mother and her accident. I'm imagining you had something to do with that which triggered the curse upon you."

Tyler opened his mouth to protest but his uncle raised his hand to stop him.

"I don't judge you. I know it was an accident. Mine was too. He was a good friend of mine but one night he came at me to fight outside of a bar and I hit him too hard. He cracked his head open on the floor. He had been jealous about his girlfriend being interested in me and he thought we were going out behind his back. He loved her very much, I remember."

Tyler thought of Matt and almost cringed aloud. He never wanted to hurt him, even if he had what he wanted. Matt and he had so much together and he could not imagine himself with his best friend's death on his hands.

Unaware of Tyler's thoughts, Mason continued on. "When we turn, our body turns hot. Not enough for people to think we have a fever we still are warmer than normal human's body temperature."

"And it's annoying sometimes, especially during the summer. I sweat a lot more easily." Tyler mumbled.

"But we're stronger and faster than humans too."

This time the teen smirked smugly. "Definitely something I like."

"As time goes by, the person has the chance of one day finding his or her mate. I've never heard of anyone who has died without it happening."

"What happens if they each are on the other side of the world? Or in another state?"

Masons smiled. "Jeremy is from another state, isn't he?"

"True."

"It's all a matter of fate. It knows what and why things happen. Now when you find your mate, the werewolf will find out once he smells or sees him or her. It will want to be around the mate practically 24/7. Interesting thing is, the mate will feel attracted back. He or she won't know why but in the end, they always give in. In your case, it's going to be in the very very end." Mason said and chucked.

Tyler glared. Mason knew about Matt and Jeremy together as a couple. Making Tyler feel less is not cool.

"Says someone who doesn't have his yet." Tyler mumbled.

Mason heard and frowned at him. "True but still harsh. Anyway, when the mate is found, you and the wolf will never be attracted to anyone like you are with Jeremy ever again."

"How damn nice."

"Sounds stupid now but you'll see one day that you couldn't care less. You'll be the one actually getting jealous when you see your mate around someone else."

"Figures."

"And one of the cool things, well in my opinion, is that you need to claim your mate psychically."

"Say what?" Tyler asked, eyes wide.

Mason shrugged. "Another natural thing for our kind."

Tyler didn't like the sound of "claiming your mate psychically". He eyes his uncle warily. "What did you mean by…claiming psychically?"

Mason smirked widely. "That's a topic for another time. I'll go onto some history now."

Tyler felt a little relived about not going into the topic. Something told him he wasn't ready to know about that yet. He groaned when his uncle wanted to keep talking about all this. "I came back from school. I got lectured enough there."

"The more you know, the more helpful things become. You never know when this information will come in handy one day."

"Whatever."

His uncle then stood up, stretching over his muscles. He walked over to the window and looked outside, his back to Tyler as he began to talk.

"If the stories are correct, our hatred towards the vampires was stared with something stupid; an affair."

Tyler snorted. "Wow, affairs are like the number one thing going on alongside drugs now a days."

"Well back then, affairs were just as bad as murder. So was sex if you were married. One of the very first vampire males cheated on his wife with the wife of a werewolf man. Both families were very powerful at the time. When the other two spouses found out about the betrayal, they swore their kinds would be enemies until the end of time. As for the witches, the vampires and our kind hate them because, according to another story, they are the reason why vampires can't walk during daylight and we turn painfully into wolves every full moon."

Tyler frowned, confused and a little angry. "Why would they do that? What did we do to them? Why not just the vampires?"

Mason turned back to look at him. "It is said that the vampires and our kind were out of control once. We all killed for fun and destroyed towns and crops. So the witched placed a curse upon all of them and unfortunately, one of the many werewolf bloodlines there…is ours."

Tyler's eyes narrowed a little. "You mean the Lockwood bloodline?"

Mason nodded. "It all started there."

A long moment of silence came between them as Mason let Tyler get everything to sink through.

"We're done for now. I have a few more things to tell you but I'll explain later in the future."

The dark haired teen stared at his uncle for a minute before nodding. "I'll be in my room. Thanks for talk, I guess."

Tyler grabbed his bag and left the room, still wondering about what else his uncle needed to say. "Claiming physically"; it sounded weird. A lot like…

Well, he hoped not.

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><p>When Monday came again, Tyler showered and did the rest of his business before he went downstairs for breakfast.<p>

In English class at school, Tyler was reading his Lord of the Flies assignment when he felt someone punch him playfully on the shoulder next to him.

"Tyler, have you heard of any parties going on soon?"

"No, why?"

"Duh, who doesn't like to party? Why are you reading that anyway?"

Tyler ignored his questions. The idea of a party suddenly came as an interest to him.

"You know what? I actually do know of one."

"Where?" the guy said eagerly. A couple of people heard and turned to stare at him with the same expression.

"I'll get back to you on that tomorrow."

The bell rang a moment later and everyone let out, excited for something going on this Saturday. By the end of the day, everyone would know about it. But Tyler knew if it was really going to happen, he would first have to through his parents first. His father more specifically. That's going to be a challenge. But it would all be for Jeremy.

He rehearsed the speech in his head as he drove home after football practice. By this point, his body did not feel even the slightest trace of soreness. He was surprised when he saw his father was at home as he parked the car behind his father's.

"Tyler?" his mother called from upstairs when he went inside.

"Yeah."

His mother appeared from downstairs, taking off her earrings. "How did school go?"

"Same old. Do you know where dad is?"

"In his office making phone calls. I don't know if he's done or not."

"Okay, thanks."

"Did you want anything to eat?"

"Maybe later, thanks mom."

Tyler walked to his father's office room inside the corner of the living room. The teen didn't hear his father talking to anyone in his chair so he knocked on the side of the entry way.

His father turned around to look at him. "What?"

"I wanted to ask for your permission to have a party here on Saturday."

His father stared at him with a serious expression. "This Saturday?"

Tyler nodded. "About 8."

"Why not do it as the swimming hole instead?"

"We do it there every time."

Mr. Lockwood rolled his eyes and sighed. "Okay, so who's coming?"

"A couple of people. No more than twenty if you want."

The man snorted and mumbled, "No more than twenty."

Tyler waited for his dad to make up his mind. After a moment the man nodded but gave pointed a finger at him in warning. "We're going to be gone that weekend which I'm sure is why you planned this. I trust you to keep this in control so don't fail me."

"I won't-

"No alcohol, no broken windows or furniture and I don't want anybody dead, hurt, or thrown in jail, and don't let it last beyond 3. I'm being nice on the time, you see."

"Thank you, dad. I won't fail you." Tyler said gratefully.

"With this permission I also trust you to keep your grades up and do your best at football."

"Like you even care to go to my games." Tyler thought of saying but would probably ruin everything, so instead he just nodded.

"Good. Anything else?"

"No."

"You're dismissed then."

His father turned around, leaving Tyler standing there in surprise that his father had actually trusted him enough to do the party in the house. But he would keep his word to his father; he never knew when something else might come up.

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><p>Note: Don't forget to review! I don't know when the next update will be but I hope the pain won't be keeping me away long. By the way, I will be going back to what's happening with Katherine, Damon and Stefan. I know it's been a week since she went to their house so it's time to see the results! Will it work? Or will it not? We'll see…<p> 


	25. My Hero

First Time for Everything

Chapter 25

Note: Thank you everyone for sticking with me :P I'm always so happy to hear from every one of you and to know that I can actually make a decent story lol! Thank you, thank you! So good to be writing again! Thank you to Simbawriter82 for his all-time help and Tyler and Matt part!

PS. I was watching a few episodes from Teen Wolf in curiosity. I'm on episode 4…or 5…I forgot. But man…is DEREK HOT! XD he reminds me so much of Tyler! Plus Derek's body…freaking yum! :P When Derek told Scott his help won't come free but didn't say what he wanted I had a evil smile on my face! Sadly I'm sure it's going to be something else than what we want right? Oh well.

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><p>Matt felt like the biggest ass in the world the second he walked out of Jeremy's room but he couldn't help the way he felt. He loved him and he couldn't take him out to an actually dinner besides burgers and fries. He couldn't buy him anything either. Jeremy was always the one inviting him over to eat when they weren't eating at the Grill. He knew it wasn't his fault. He worked to pay bills and keep food on the table for Vicky and himself but he could never not feel embarrassed when it came to money. The person who sent Jeremy all that stuff was obviously more than well off. Or at least enough to practically fill his closet with gifts. Had to be someone from Mystic Falls.<p>

Matt practically ran out of his last class on Monday. He needed to apologize to Jeremy before he went to practice. Matt found him walking to his locker and he went up to him as he twisted in his combination. Jeremy jumped when he saw him.

"I'm so sorry, Jere. I should not have acted that way."

Jeremy paused, staring at him in surprise. Then he sighed, turning back to his locker. "You don't have to apologize."

"I do. I was taking out my frustration on you and that wasn't right."

Jeremy frowned. Matt's words reminded him of Tyler's apology for the incident at the swimming hole. Jeremy pulled away from the memory and turned to Matt. The boy's desperation and guilt was fully showing in his blue eyes and Jeremy felt a knot in his stomach. Matt loved him. To what point he did not know but it showed enough that anybody couldn't ignore. Jeremy didn't know why he did it but he found himself reaching out and cradling the side of Matt's face. The blonde froze, not expecting the movement but then he slowly smiled and placed his hand over Jeremy's.

"I really don't wanna go to practice now." Matt mumbled.

"You have to. Plus you love football."

Matt sighed and kissed Jeremy's hand before lowering them, fingers entwined. "Tanner can take the fun out of it sometimes."

"He's only trying to help you guys. Any sport coach is like that."

"True…alright, fine I'll go. But only because you're telling me to."

Jeremy chuckled and closed his eyes when Matt leaned in to kiss him. After a moment they pulled back. Jeremy's face turned red when he saw some people staring at them.

"Ignore them. Hey, I wanted to tell you that I can't come tonight. Vicky is coming down with something so I'll be with her at home. Also I need to go pick up some groceries after work."

"I'm sorry. Tell her I said I hope she gets better, please?"

"Of course. So I'll see you tomorrow."

Matt gave him one last kiss before walking away.

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><p>Jeremy turned away from the few lingering gossipers and returned his books in his locker before slamming the door shut and heading out to meet Katherine at her car.<p>

"Giving Mattie a big kiss goodbye?" Katherine asked, teasing.

Jeremy only gave her a look.

Katherine shrugged with mock defense. "So I'll be going to my tutoring after dinner today."

"Do you actually go to get tortured?"

Katherine glared at him for a second then she looked a little smug and turned on the car.

"I'll tell you later."

* * *

><p>Katherine wasn't hungry but she picked at her food until the time came for her to leave. In the car, she chewed nervously on the inside of her cheek. She could not remember the last time she had been this nervous. Her stomach felt tight and her palms were sweating on the steering wheel. She wasn't lying when she said it would be the last tutoring session with Damon. Jeremy knew about him but if he suspected something, he didn't let her know. Stefan's expression had not been readable every time he answered the door. He called for his brother and went either to his bedroom or the kitchen, completely ignoring Damon and her the entire time. Stupid but left with no other option, she told Damon to raise their "flirtingtutoring sessions" voices higher so Stefan could hear. There was no kissing, even if Damon had insisted three times on it. She was afraid it went that far, she would defiantly be getting the results she feared. But then who knew if he thought that they did anyway?

She parked her car in the usual spot and got out, walking slower than usual to the front door. She took a deep breath and let it out, thinking positive thoughts to herself before knocking on the door.

And there he was, Stefan gorgeous Salvatore opening the door. And to her surprise, he gave her a small smile in greeting. It was hesitant but it was there.

"Come on in. Damon actually wants to do the tutoring in his room this time. So he's waiting there."

Katherine resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "That's fine."

Stefan motioned her to come inside and she thanked him. For some reason she didn't go up the stairs directly. She looked up at the stairs and then at Stefan, who looked at her, confused.

"Something wrong?" he asked a few seconds later.

"Thank you for letting us study here at your house." she blurted lamely. She mentally cursed herself.

Stefan snorted softly and shrugged. "You're welcome but it's not me you should thank. Damon is the one helping you."

"Yeah but…I still wanted to thank you. You're…a very nice guy."

And I cannot get any lamer.

Stefan gave her another small smile. "Thank you."

Part of her was expecting a compliment back but then with the things he's heard the last few weeks, he's probably not thinking anything good.

They stared at each other then. Katherine, for the first time, saw him clearly and up close without having any school distractions. Stefan's eyes were deep brown but with the light coming in, it gave them specks of green.

* * *

><p>Stefan gazes into Katherine's face. He wonders how soft that skin would feel under his fingertips, how perfect his lips would feel against her.<p>

"Are we doing this or not?" Damon called from upstairs, bringing us back into reality.

Just then he saw the one thing he never expected to see, and would be one of his top favorites; Katherine blushed.

"I should go." She said quickly and headed up the stairs.

Stefan nodded watched her until she turned the corner and disappeared from his view.

He sighed and went into the kitchen to finish his dinner. He hadn't gone to football practice. His body was still very sore from Coach Tanner's strict obsession to push them past their limit. Their first game of the year was set for next Thursday.

* * *

><p>Damon was doing his part like she paid him to but Katherine didn't seem to want to play hers today.<p>

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She supported her head on her palm, looking a little sad. "Face it, Damon. It's not going to work."

He sighed, sitting back on floor. "What makes you say that?"

"He would have tried something along time ago and he's not acting different with me since this started."

"Weren't you two talking down there when you came in?"

"Yeah but…I don't know."

She had to the urge to stand up and head over to the wall to slam her head against it over and over in frustration. She admitted she didn't accept defeat well. She always got what she wanted whether it was boys, money or material things. Seems there was always a first time for everything…or maybe fate had finally decided to show how much she hated her. Was fate even a girl?

Damon stared at her for a moment in thought. "Holy shit, you do love him."

"You have no idea."

Damon shaped his mouth in a silent whistle, showing his surprise.

"You don't even know me so why the big surprise? Has Stefan talked to you about me?"

Damon narrowed his eyes, pressing his lips into a thin line.

"Has he?" she demanded.

Damon focused back on her. "It's not for me to tell. If you truly want him, tell him how you feel to his face. I've always believed things can get done when you face them head on."

"Easier said than done." She mumbled, frowning at the door.

"If you're not going to do it then I have nothing else to tell you."

She glared at him. "You don't know how hard this is for me! I bet you take this all so calmly because you can get any date you want! Well guess what? I was that type of person too but then I met Stefan and I changed! I hope you will meet your special person one day because I would love to see you struggle with something!"

"Say this to someone who's helping you."

"Oh please I paid you for this! And it got me nowhere!"

"Not my problem you such a pussy!"

"Fuck you!"

"You wish!"

"Not if you were the last man on this damn earth!" she yelled as she gathered her books and stood up, walking out the door without looking back.

"Have a nice day!" Damon called sarcastically.

"The day you die, I will!"

She went down the stairs, surprised to see Stefan half way up the stairs. He paused when he saw her.

"What's going on? I heard yelling." He said, concerned.

"I'm sorry, Stefan, this was such a bad idea. I'm leaving. It was nice seeing you again." She said, feeling tears in her eyes as she avoided his gaze and went past him and went out the door.

"Katherine, wait!" he called but she didn't turn. She went to her car, got inside, and drove away.

That's when she let the tears fall.

_Why couldn't I just accept the hints? Stefan doesn't want anything to do with me and I still go to his house so his brother and I could make him jealous? He's probably thinking what a freak I am. Ha, if he only knew what I really was…_

* * *

><p>"What did you do to her?" Stefan demanded, furious as he burst into his brother's room. Damon was messing with his Iphone, looking bored on the bed.<p>

"Have you heard of something called knocking?" Damon asked, without looking over at him.

Stefan growled and went over, slapping the phone away from his hands and grabbing the other by the collar of his shirt.

"What did you do?" he snarled. Damon gritted his teeth and shoved Stefan away, making the other boy stumble. Stefan had a similar build to Damon but Damon was taller.

"I didn't do anything! Don't come into my room and start accusing me of shit! I was helping her with what she wanted, she got upset over something stupid, she got her stuff and left! That's all!"

"I don't believe you! She was ready to cry!" Stefan yelled, going for his brother again. Damon got up from the bed and tackled his brother to the wall. The two of them struggled for a couple of minutes, fists flying and grunts of pain coming from both of them. In the end, Damon with his leaner body and faster reactions won and managed to finally pin Stefan under him.

"Why are you suddenly so protective of her? She told me herself you didn't seem to give a shit about her!" Damon panted out.

Stefan stopped struggle at that. "What?"

"She told me how she tried to talk to you and every time you would barely even look at her! Why care about her now?"

Stefan didn't say anything, he looked away, ashamed. It had been true but it hadn't been because he wasn't interested. He had to be blind in order not to get lost into her allure.

"I do care about her." He whispered.

Damon stared down at him, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, Damon groaned in annoyance and stood up.

"Just when I thought you couldn't get any more pathetic."

Stefan stayed on the floor, turning his gaze up at the ceiling. "Did she talk to you about me then?"

Damon didn't answer.

Stefan looked up at his brother, insisting. "Did she?"

Damon rolled his eyes, sitting on the bed. "It was getting pretty annoying but, hey, she paid, so whatever."

"Paid?" Stefan sat up. "Paid you for what?"

"Not sex if that's what you're thinking. You'd be surprised at how she really is."

Stefan and Damon held each other's eye.

"How is she like then?"

Damon rolled his eyes again. "You really are pathetic…and stupid. She loves you, moron. She loves you bad. The first day she came looking for me was to ask me to pretend I was giving her tutoring lessons so she can get you jealous."

Stefan's mouth dropped open. She loves him? His heart picked up at the thought.

"But what about all that…flirting?"

"Acting, man. Her idea. But I guess all of our hard work didn't pull off. Well, at least she doesn't know. So you love her too or what?"

His face turned red.

"I'll take that as a yes. Look, you better go find her to tell her the truth. That's what I told her to do but then she told me how I didn't know how hard the situation was and blah blah blah and that's why she left. She didn't want to take the first option and just go telling the person how you feel."

"Why?"

"I'm pretty sure it had something to do with your reaction. Probably thinking you would reject her. She even told me how she used to be this girl who could get any date she wanted but changed when she saw you."

Stefan swallowed hard, feeling his heart kicking up even faster. Katherine loved him like he loved her. He had been a judgmental asshole like the students at school.

"Anytime now?" Damon said impatiently.

Stefan looked at his brother differently for the first time and felt a smile coming to his face. "I knew you had a heart in there somewhere."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, frowning.

Stefan then stood up, still smiling down at him. "Thank you."

"Whatever. Don't go all soft on me now."

Stefan chuckled and ran out of the door.

He was going to make things right. No more hiding.

He took out his phone out as he went down the stairs and texted Matt.

_What's Katherine's address? Please I need it. _

He knew Matt would be at work but he needed his answer quickly. He went to the kitchen and grabbed his car keys before heading outside. He ran to his car and got in, closing the door when he heard his phone ring. It was Matt's reply. Stefan told him he would explain later before placing the phone on the seat next to him and pulling out. That's when he saw something on the ground. He stopped the car and got out, walking over to it. He picked it up and saw it was an earring. It must be Katherine's. He placed the object into his pocket and walked back to his car. He then drove off towards his destination.

When he got to Katherine's house, he didn't see her car but he hoped she would be there.

He parked the car in front of the house and got out, running towards the door and ringing the doorbell. His heart beat was so fast, he'd thought he might have a heart attack.

A moment later a woman came to the door and she smiled at me. "Can I help you?"

"Is Katherine here? I need to talk to her, please."

Then she must have realized something. She pointed a finger at him in question. "Are you Stefan Salvatore?"

His eyes widened. "Y-Yes, ma'am. How did you know?"

A small smirk appeared on the corners of her mouth but then she frowned slightly.

"Well she must be at your house with your brother. He's tutoring her isn't he?"

"Yes then…something happened and I need to talk to her."

"Something happened?" she asked, worried.

"Nothing bad, don't worry. She was done with her session. She drove off but she dropped this." He explained, digging into his pocket and pulling out the earring.

"I see. Well, she's not here yet. Maybe she went somewhere. I'm sure she won't take long. Do you want to come in? You can wait for her."

"Thank you."

He looked back behind him before he turned and headed into the house.

* * *

><p>Another wonderful gagging day of practice was over. Stefan hadn't come and Tyler wished he hadn't either. The invitations had been sent out all he needed was to give one to Matt. After they changed out of their uniforms, Tyler took out the white envelope from his backpack and leaned over to tap his best friend on the shoulder. Matt turned around and gave him a questioning look. Tyler pushed the invitation towards him.<p>

"Having a party on Saturday and I want you and Jeremy come. I'm sorry our relationship is a little weird right now."

Matt took the envelope and took it out, reading it. He gave Tyler a smile. "Thanks, man but why not just tell me?"

"I'm only giving it to certain people. My dad trusted me to keep it under control."

"Was your dad on drugs?" Matt teased.

Tyler chuckled. "Probably."

Matt placed the note back into the envelope and into his backpack. "I'll come. I'll ask Jeremy if he wants to come."

Tyler nodded casually. "Cool."

They packed up and Matt asked Tyler to walk with him to get a water bottle from the vending machine. Tyler agreed and followed him out the door and into the hallway of the school. They walked in silence as they headed over to the machine. Tyler leaned against the wall as he waited for Matt to get his drink. He looked down the halls and saw they were empty of students. He had been wondering this ever since he learned Matt and Jeremy got together. It was now or never.

"Do you love him?" There was no reason to mention his name. Matt would know, and he didn't want Matt to freak out over it.

Matt took out the bottle and took a long swing. He didn't look at Tyler as he answered.

"I do." He said.

Matt's voice was shy, uncertain. Tyler guessed because he was still new. He wanted to ask Jeremy if he felt the same way but he decided to let it go. He was enough of an ass as it was.

"I don't know about him though," he continued, sounding slight defeated.

Tyler turned his head towards him so fast it hurt. "What?" It was all he could manage.

"I love him but I don't know if he loves me."

Tyler turned his head away, letting it rest against the wall. "Oh."

He wasn't sure whether the sound was due to empathy with Matt or that due to the fact that his wolf was practically making a happy dance inside his head.

"Did you tell him?" he asked.

"Yeah, after the night you and him…" Matt didn't go any further.

Tyler bit his lip to stop from crying out. What if he had practically shoved Jeremy into Matt's arms (interestingly his wolf didn't seem to mind so much right now, still occupied dancing)? And why did his best friend have to fall for the guy destined to be Tyler's mate? The worst thing was that Tyler was sure Matt would have been the better choice here. What kind of an ass must somebody actually be to actually let someone end up with Tyler? It's not that he didn't know what an ass he was or that he did his best to one day become the biggest asshole on the planet.

When Tyler looked back at Matt, the blonde was watching him.

He must have mistaken his silence for empathy. "But I'm hoping that one day he'll come to realize his feelings for me, so don't worry, I do everything I can to help him get there."

His wolf stopped dancing at this. Tyler forced himself to smile.

"Yeah, I'm sure you will."

* * *

><p>Jeremy was listening to music on his Ipod while he played his Call of Duty game his "secret admirer" got for him. He felt weird for using it but he was done with homework so he was bored and…it would be rude not to appreciate the gift wouldn't it? He felt his phone vibrating on his stomach and he pressed pause on his game to see who it was.<p>

**What's up? **

Kyle.

Jeremy rolled his eyes. The guy remembers he still exists again. Jeremy couldn't help but feel hurt when he remembered Kyle hadn't even sent a text in a while. Jeremy was truly his only friend he had so it's not like he was hanging out with other people.

_Who is this? _

**Your best bud, duh! Sorry I haven't kept in touch. My mom grounded me so I couldn't use the phone. **

_Got grounded for more than a month, huh? I would believe you if you weren't so full of shit. _

It took him ten minutes to reply back. Jeremy didn't know if Kyle was trying to determine his tone or was just doing something else.

**It's true! I got caught smoking, man! My mom nearly killed me! She threatened to send me into rehab! **

_If she does I'll try to remember to send you a post card. _

Jeremy was pissed now. Kyle was his best friend, how could he forget him like that? Maybe it was true that he was caught smoking but his mother wasn't the type that would care about what he did. He has seen her enough times when going over to Kyle's house to know that.

**Are you mad? Oh come on don't be a baby! I'm sorry I didn't call you or anything, alright? I'm very fucking sorry! **

Jeremy dismissed his text, not bothering to answer anymore. He had his own problems too to worry about.

Jeremy went back to his game when a few minutes later, the phone began to ring this time. Jeremy sighed and pressed pause on his game again. He picked up the phone and saw it was Katherine.

He frowned and took out an ear bud, pressing the button to answer. "Yeah?"

"Stefan is in there with you guys?" she demanded.

He winced, jerking his phone away from his phone. "Don't yell. What's your problem? No Stefan is not here…is he?"

"I'm asking you that!"

Jeremy took off the other ear bud and listened downstairs. Surely enough he heard Stefan downstairs, talking to Aunt Jenna.

"Oh, I guess he is."

"You guess? I can see his car parked in front of the house!"

"Why are you so freaked out? I thought you would be jumping in joy at knowing your long time love bunny would be here?"

"Well, what is he doing there? Can you hear?"

Jeremy sighed. "One sec."

He placed the phone down and went over to the door and cracked it open to listen.

"So you're good in football I suppose?" he heard Jenna ask.

"Not bad. Some are better than me for sure." Stefan replied.

"But you are still in the team so that must mean something."

Jeremy walked back to the bed and pressed the phone to his ear. "Football."

"He's there to talk about football?"

"I'm sure he's here for another reason, Kat. He's talking with Aunt Jenna and I doubt she was his reason to come over! Just get in here and act normal!"

"Oh my god, do you think he came to see me? The plan actually worked?"

"What plan?" he asked, curiously.

"I'll tell you later. I'll be there in a moment and…try not to die."

"You do that."

"I will, thank you."

Jeremy smirked. "You'll be fine."

"…Hopefully. Bye."

Jeremy hung up and sighed, running his hands over his face. Why was there so much drama?

His phone vibrated. Jeremy looked over and saw it was Matt.

Speaking of drama…

**Hey, beautiful. How are you?**

Oh god he realized he didn't have a nickname for Matt. Jeremy blew out a long breath and decided to just go for it. The guy was having such a hard time with everything. He deserved something to make it through the day.

_Hey, baby, I'm doing great. How about you? How was practice?_

**Going great too now that I'm talking to you. Practice was okay…for practice that is haha.**

_I'm sure you kicked ass. :) How's Vicky?_

**Sureeee lol She told me she hanging on. I'm taking the day off for work so I can go get some groceries and take care of Vicky. Sorry I can't come over tonight.**

_Good and don't apologize, you're her brother and she needs you. _

**You're amazing, you know that?**

_So I've been told :P _

**Oh by the way, Tyler told me he was having a party Saturday night and he was inviting us. Want to come with me?**

Tyler Lockwood. His number one drama, inviting him to a party?

_I don't know. I'll think about it. _

**That's fine. Hey I have to go I'll text you later. Bye. **

_Okay. Bye._

Weird, he usually told him he loved him. He would tell him that but he didn't want to lie to Matt like that. Jeremy was still trying to feel something for the boy then just a friend but time has passed and nothing. Could Tyler have something to do with it? Could he be the reason why he can't feel more for Matt? It sounded dumb. Then there was the secret admirer person…

Oh no. No freaking way. It couldn't be! Tyler Lockwood could not be _his _secret admirer. He may have apologized but…would he seriously buy him all this? If he did, he was obviously trying to bribe him to win him over. Though technically, Jeremy couldn't prove it had been him.

Then he heard the door open and heard Katherine's voice.

"Hey, I'm back!"

Jeremy rolled his eyes. Took her that long to walk inside? But then again, he wouldn't blame her.

* * *

><p>"Kat you have a visitor!" Aunt Jenna called inside the living room.<p>

Katherine felt her hands shake. Katherine, man eater almost all her life, confident in everything she did, was now a nervous, insecure, girl over one boy.

She walked into the living room and her eyes stopped on Stefan. He gave her a nervous smile but she couldn't seem to return it, she felt frozen in place.

There was a moment of silence. Out of the corner of her eye, Katherine saw Jenna look back and forth between Stefan and her.

"I just remembered I have some things to do so I'll leave you two alone." She said. She turned to Stefan. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Stefan."

"Pleasure is all mine, Miss Gilbert."

"Oh, please, call me Jenna."

She then stood up and walked past Katherine and gave her hand a squeeze of encouragement. Katherine heard her aunt then go up the stairs and she forced herself to move.

She smiled at Stefan and walked over to him, sitting down a respectful distance away.

"So…what's up?" she asked as casually as possible.

Stefan suddenly looked guilty. "I'm so sorry."

Okay, not the answer she was looking for.

"For what?" she asked, slowly.

"Damon told me everything."

She tensed. She studied his expression but it held no trace of being upset.

"Oh."

"I'm angry… but not at you. I knew you were interested in me but I did nothing to show you back my feelings. In fact, I just made you think I probably hated you or something, am I right?"

Katherine's heart picked up. He regretted not showing his feelings? Did he mean…?

"Do you like me?" she asked.

He smiled at her. "No, I don't."

Her eyes widened.

His smile widened and he moved close to her and took her hand in his. "I love you, Katherine. I guess I've always had but…I thought that-

"That I wanted to use you? I don't blame you. My clothes aren't exactly made for church."

Stefan chuckled. She smiled. How she loved that laugh.

"I don't care. I love you just the way you are." He said.

And the moment she never thought would ever see came; he kissed her.

When they pulled away, they rested their foreheads together. "I love you too."

"One thing." He said, pulling away and digging into his pocket, pulling out her earring. Katherine's mouth dropped open slight and reached up to touch her ear and touched her earlobe. Then she smiled and took the earring from him, putting it on.

"My hero." She teased. They went back to sharing more kisses.

* * *

><p>Jeremy had listened by the door. Her wish had come true. She finally had him.<p>

He gently closed the door and walked back to his bed, sitting on the edge. He glanced over at his phone and took the cellphone into his hands.

How does love feel like he didn't know. But by what he heard downstairs and have seen in the movies, it must be similar like getting a sugar high. Feeling overjoyed and on the clouds, everything around you was funny and nothing could bring you down.

Matt…

He didn't doubt that any girl would love to be in his place. Matt was funny and caring and hard working at everything he did. Not to mention he's very handsome. Anybody would call him stupid if they knew how he felt for Matt even if they were together as a couple. How can they be together when he of them can't even love the other back? Thinking about it, he's been thinking a little too much as a victim. He also hadn't ever given Matt something.

Then there was Tyler…

Okay, he didn't know why he was thinking of this guy right now but for some reason he did. He didn't know Tyler personally anyway except that he had some anger issues, played football, was a werewolf, and…was his mate…and okay, was not bad looking…not bad at all-but that's wasn't the point. Knowing about werewolves, they were possessive, and had to have their way no matter who they had to hurt. Knowing this, anybody would have chosen to be with Matt. , something in his reasonable mind must not be working. Not that he wanted Tyler instead. Tyler scared him because of what he was. He was holding back right now but one day he's not going to be able to and hell was going to break loose. The right thing for Jeremy to do was just to break up with Matt and accept Tyler. But he couldn't. Emotions were holding him back and he didn't know if this was something he wanted or not. Deep inside, he couldn't help but envy his cousin.

* * *

><p>At school, Steven noticed some people were talking about Tyler throwing a party. He noticed a guy was walking excitedly down the hall his way, heading towards the exit. He grabbed the guy's arm to stop him.<p>

"What is that?" Steven asked, looking down at the white, small sized envelope in the guy's hands.

He followed his gaze and swallowed. "Tyler gave it to me. He invited me to his party this Saturday night."

"Where?"

"His house. His parents will be out until the next afternoon."

Steven almost smirked at the fear in the guy's voice. He let him go and waved him off before turning back to his locker.

Interesting. I wonder if he invited Jeremy?

Well, he'd just have to find out for himself, wouldn't he?

He took out his cellphone and dialed Klaus' number. The older vampire picked up on the fourth ring.

"This better be good, boy, I'm in the middle of something." On the other side, Steven heard a very loud giggle.

Steven frowned, feeling a stab of jealousy. He hung up without responding. Asshole. He was going to invite him to come with him on Saturday.

"Hey baby! There you are!" Chelsea cried happily as he hugged him from behind.

He turned around and looked into her eyes. "Go bother someone else."

She stared at him for a moment, a dazed expression on her face. She mumbled, "I'll go bother someone else."

She walked away without another word and he growled, frustrated. Ever since he had learned about his father helping the elder Lockwood and attacking his father for it, he'd been feeling in a bad mood 24/7. He shoved in the books he didn't need that day for homework before slamming his door shut. He had used too much force than necessary, bending one of the lower corners.

"Whoa man! What'd the locker do to you? " Daniel teased, coming up beside him.

Steven was about to tell him to fuck off and go away when he paused, slowly turning to him as an idea suddenly popped into his mind. A slow, mischievous smile came upon his lips. Daniel was inspecting the bent corner and turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

"What's with the face?" he asked.

"Are you parents at work?"

"Well, my dad won't come home until 7."

"Want to do homework together at your house after practice?"

Daniel grimaced. "I don't know. Tanner always leaves me sore after."

He waited until the boy was staring at him. "We're going to go to your house after practice, Daniel."

Daniel's face turned blank for a moment. "Going to my house after practice."

Then it turned back to his old self. "Dude, I think there's some beer left in the fridge!"

"Don't worry, we won't need it."

He frowned. "Why not?"

Steven wrapped his arm around Daniel's neck as he led them towards the locker room. "You'll see."

Note: Don't forget to review! Next chapter will be time to part-ay! :D


	26. Only Friend

First Time for Everything

Chapter 26

Note: The most biggest thank you to my beat reader, Simbawriter82, for sticking with me and checking over the chapter. I tell you, he's a miracle worker. And of course thank you and hugs to you guys for continuing to stick with me and giving me motivation to continue writing jyler, the most awesomest of awesome couples in TVD :)

093022m: Thank you so much for your review! It makes me happy to hear the story is on the right track! :D so nervous about every chapter. I need help every time! And you asked about Elena...no she's not going to be in there. I'm sorry if you wanted her to. I can't think of a good role that would make sense for her to look like Katherine. The first idea would be her twin sister or something right? But then I already said Katherine is an only child. Again, I'm so sorry!

* * *

><p>Kyle Sanders was miserable. He had lost his best friend—his only friend he might add—and now he was alone. As far back as he could remember he had always liked Jeremy. Oh yeah, he was gay, for sure. But it had never occurred to him until he had invited Jeremy to his 14th birthday pool party. Back then he had first admitted to himself that Jeremy looked damn awesome with little clothing on. Plus, Jeremy had hit puberty first. His voice had already gotten deeper and his body had started to lose the last traces of baby fat.<p>

As time passed, he had never managed to gather the courage to tell Jeremy how he felt. He had thought Jeremy was straight. Even when Kyle had hit puberty – late as it was - the younger boy had never looked him _that _way. He always had the eye of one or two girls on him everywhere he went. Strangely Jeremy always turned them down - when he paid attention to them that was - but Kyle had told himself that Jeremy was cocky and didn't think any of those girls were good enough for him.

When Kyle fell face forward on his bed, his mind began to go back to a certain memory he had decided to push away once, convinced that it meant nothing.

It had been one of those times at the beach when he had noticed Jeremy gazing towards other guys. His gaze had swept over their faces, their chests, their butts and sometimes even their packages. Kyle had dismissed it the first time but it had kept happening every time they went. As Jeremy gazed, a small smile would sometimes appear on his face. The realization hit Kyle like a ton of bricks; Jeremy was gay – or at least bisexual. Kyle was momentarily happy with it but then as he thought about it, it didn't matter and it never had. Jeremy had never looked at him as anything but a friend. All his smiles towards him had always been that of a friend for another friend. As time had kept passing, there was not a single time Kyle could remember of Jeremy ever liking him _that_ way. Kyle had accepted that nothing would ever happen between them – meeting the Skunk Ape in the entrance hall of the Four Seasons Hotel was more likely than that - and had moved on. Then the news had come; the news that Jeremy had to move for a while to Mystic Falls, in fucking Virginia. Kyle knew Jeremy might meet someone there. Someone who was able to get Jeremy's mind off the real reason he had to leave Florida. But what could Kyle have done? It's not like he could have stopped Jeremy from going. And if he had told him the truth about his feelings, Jeremy would have rejected him, sugarcoating it or not. Reality was a damn bitch. If Jeremy found someone, he wished them the best although thinking of that possibility made him feel like being sucker punched. Kyle was sure he will one day find his other half too, well he hoped.

_I just hope he won't fall for a football jock._

* * *

><p>"You like that, bitch?"<p>

Steven fucked Daniel doggy style on the table of the living room, hard and unapologetic, all his muscles tense. Using Daniel as an outlet for his pent up frustration and lust proved to be the perfect idea.

"Yes sir. Fuck me hard, sir," Daniel yelled.

They were alone in the house, Daniel's parents were out, so the only sounds that could be heard where Steven's skin slapping against Daniel's ass, the sounds of the shaking table and the loud moaning and yelling of Daniel.

Compelling him to do anything beyond coming with Steven had proven itself to be unnecessary, the moment Daniel had engulfed Steven's cock with his mouth the chestnut brown jock had been more than happy to obey every one of Steven's commands. He had literally begged Steven to fuck his tight little ass and damn it felt good. Steven made a mental note to use this muscled body for later should he have another itch. Maybe he could fuck him in the showers at school. Every jock dreamed of having sex there.

"I like fucking that tight asshole," Steven growled.

"And I like your cock," Daniel moaned at an especially hard thrust, "I love your cock in my ass."

"Then take it bitch, take it all. I'm gonna ram into you so hard," Steven roared. "I fuck you into next year."

Who would have thought that Daniel liked it hard and dirty? But man was Steven happy he did, that virgin hole felt like heaven and dominating was great, Daniel was a great sub. His moans, pants and 'fucks' were a huge turn on.

"Whose ass is this?" Steven buried his fingers deep into the other boy's hips.

"Yours, it's yours," Daniel hollered out.

"Yours what?" Steven pounded harder, grabbing forcefully at Daniel's hair.

"Yours sir, it's all yours."

Steven felt the thirst in himself raise, his eyes turning red and encircled by dark veins, his canines elongated. The thirst mixed with lust and he bit down hard between Daniels shoulder and neck. Daniel screamed out as Steven thrust and sucked at the same time until the scent of cum filled the air, sending Steven over the edge as well, filling Daniel's ass.

Steven took a few more moments to suck some blood from Daniel, who was still breathing hard and probably totally drugged by pleasure.

When Steven had enough he let go and laid Daniel down on the table, staring him into the eye.

"You hide the wound and if anybody asks; you say that it is a hickey from a very kinky girl."

Steven had another idea. "And all this will never have happened, you just dreamed that I fucked you and it was the best sex you ever had."

"Yes sir," Daniel replied in the dreamy voice of a compelled boy.

* * *

><p>Tyler was trying to keep his impatience hidden as his father went through his expectations once more.<p>

"No alcohol, no drugs, no sex—and if there is, it better be where the neighbors can't watch and it better not be on our bed or on the furniture—it better not last beyond three and I want the house spotless without anything broken when your mother and I get back, understood?" He wasn't even looking at his son occasionally as he rummaged through the pockets of his coat. Tyler guessed that he was searching for the keys.

"Yes, dad." Tyler mentally rolled his eyes at the neighbors comment – by appearance he just stood there, completely still with his hands behind his back. What neighbors anyway? Even the property directly around the mansion was so big you would have to start a rock-concert for anybody to notice what was going on there.

"If you're going to let those people eat the food from our fridge, it will be replaced with your money. Also anything you want for the party, you will pay for it." He had found the keys and tossed them into the air once.

"Yes dad."

His father turned around and stared at him seriously, the signs of mistrust on his face.

"You can trust me, dad."

"I hope so. We raised you to be responsible." He turned away again, put the keys in his pocket and grabbed his coat.

_Mom__ raised me, dad. You were never really there. _Tyler nodded. "I know."

"Don't be such a mood killer, Richard." His mother had her usual soothing tone, the one she always had when she was controlling his father – Tyler couldn't help the small rising of the right corner of his mouth. "Wait out in the car."

His father rolled his eyes as his wife helped him into his coat. With that, he adjusted his tie and walked out of the house.

Mrs. Lockwood turned to her son. "Ignore him. You know how he gets. But we really trust you on this. Anyway, we love you no matter what."

_Ha. I'm sure __dad __will get a kick out of that last part. _

Tyler gave her a small smile and leaned in as she kissed his forehead; before she could get away he had his arms around her and hugged lightly. _I'm so sorry mom._

"We'll see you tomorrow." She said and smiled - a slight blush on her face - before she adjusted her purse strap on her shoulder and walked away, Tyler's heart aching a bit as he saw her frail frame. Tyler walked over to see their car leave, waving as the car drove off. When it was out of sight he slammed the door closed.

"I'm going to miss them too." Mason said, teasing as he came down the stairs.

"Well, shit, I'd rather have you for my father." He mumbled. "Was he always like that, even as a kid?"

Mason stopped in front of him and thought, frowning. "Not that I remember," he said while scratching his head. "Must have happened when he got elected."

"Thought so too." And Tyler hoped he wouldn't end up like that, well fate had it that he wouldn't be married to a woman, which was a start, somehow. "Where are you going?" He eyed curiously the piece of folded paper in his uncle's hand.

Mason smirked. "Well I figured I'd better find a way to be useful when I stay here. Your mom wrote down some things they need from the grocery store."

"Did she write it before or after she knew about the party tonight?"

"After." He shrugged. "I guess she doesn't care if you guys eat all of it afterwards. Oh, plus she told me to give you this."

Mason dug into his pocket and pulled out three twenties.

Tyler took them and gave him a questioning look.

"For the party food," he explained.

Tyler smirked. "Guess that means I'm coming with you."

"If you want."

Tyler got into the side passage of Mason's Bronco XLT and they headed towards the grocery store.

"Have you ever had to go for your own food before?" Mason asked, never looking away from the street.

Tyler narrowed his eyes. "Are you making fun of me?"

"No, just asking."

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Once."

When they arrived, Tyler wondered about something.

"Are you staying for the party?"

Mason chuckled. "No, there's no room for an old man like me."

"You're 30," Tyler groaned. "And I bet plenty of girls had their gazes on you when you came to town."

Mason shook his head as he grabbed a cart. "Nah, you guys have fun."

Tyler got a couple of things – chips, crackers, some of those packages with several different kinds of snacks in them, sodas, beer etc. - from the store and placed them into his own cart. He ignored the people who were openly staring in surprise that the mayor's son would be doing his own shopping; well he ignored them and the girls staring at his ass. _Great, now I'm complaining about girls checking out my ass._

* * *

><p>Mason got the stuff he needed and went to find Tyler.<p>

"Got everything?" he asked.

Tyler nodded. "Yeah."

They headed to pay for the food.

"Look, I know there's going to be booze in there. People are going to bring it even though you're bringing some yourself. I was once in high school too and I know how things can get."

Tyler shrugged. "I'll do my best to keep control of everything even with the beer. I do want to keep my parent's trust."

"I know you will. Are you going to drink?"

He shrugged again.

Mason lined up behind another customer and checked over the list once more.

"I knew that trail of broken hearts leading to the mansion was no coincidence. Mason Lockwood is back in town."

Mason's mouth dropped open. He definitely recognized that voice anywhere. He glanced to his right and saw Jenna Gilbert behind a full cart. She had the most mischievous grin on her face he had seen in years. Well, actually he hadn't seen it in two years when they had run into each other in San Francisco, and he surely hadn't forgotten the two weeks following.

"Hello Jenna." Mason couldn't help but grin back.

Jenna opened her arms and welcomed him. He rushed towards her, pulling her into a bear hug, and spinning her around, ignoring the people around them who dodged out of the way, Tyler among them.

Jenna laughed. "Put me down, Mason!"

He did and he couldn't stop grinning. He considered Jenna one of his closest friends and he has never forgotten all the fun times they had together.

"How have you been?" she asked.

"Great just running some errands. How about you?"

"Good! Running some errands too. Teenagers raid the fridge to a near zero every week." She teased, smiling. She looked behind him and said, "Hey, Tyler."

"Good morning, Ms. Gilbert."

"I heard from Katherine you're having a party tonight."

"Yeah, you know, having fun. Is she coming with Stefan?"

"Yeah I believe they are. I don't know about Jeremy, though."

Tyler didn't let it show but Mason could tell that the statement stung him.

"I'll go ahead of you." Tyler said and excused himself to Jenna before walking to the front, ignoring the complaints and glares of the other customers, and paying for his things.

"Did I say something wrong?" Jenna asked, looking confused at Mason.

"No, he's just nervous because he's playing host. So how's everything been since Castro Street?" He was deliberately using that specific memory.

Jenna obviously had to struggle to held back laughter. "Hanging on. I'm helping my nephew, Jeremy, at home while his mom finds a job back in Florida." She passed a smile to Mason. "So far the plan is that he stays for the school year but I don't mind if he needs to stay more. I love the company and what's family for, right?"

Mason smiled, while he wished he knew; he had been lucky he hadn't ended up like his father and brother. "You've always had a big heart."

Jenna must have read something on his face because she placed her hand on his lower arm and gave him a slight squeeze, an empathic smile on her face. "Well, you know me. How about you? Why are you back?"

Mason was about to answer when the woman behind the counter called for the next customer.

"Sorry, I'm making you hold the line." She looked towards hers. "I am next in mine, too. It was good to see you again, Road Dancer."

This time Mason had to hold back the laughter, of course she would remember that evening. "Same here." Mason leaned in and gave her a hug.

Someone complained behind him and he threw a glare that way, making the person shut up, and look away.

They pulled away and Jenna returned to her cart.

"Come by sometime?" Mason asked.

The woman behind the counter yelled at him but he ignored her.

Jenna smiled. "Well, I am going to the movies tonight alone."

"Need some company?" He had no idea what to do in this town.

"Call me later and we'll see."

Jenna waved before she walked off, a wide smile on her face.

Mason went back to putting the rest of his things for the woman to scan. His mind was not really there as he thought of Jenna. He paid and rolled his cart to the car and saw Tyler was waiting by the door of the passenger door, obviously impatient.

"Bout time!"

"Shut up."

"So how do you know her?"

"She's a friend." He said firmly, letting him now that the topic was not available for discussion.

Tyler raised his hands in the air and waited for him to open the trunk. Luckily the Bronco was so big, there was room left.

"Just answer me this; do you like her?" Tyler asked, accentuating the word 'like'.

Mason turned on the engine and began to drive out of the parking lot.

"Yeah."

"Is she your mate?"

"No."

"Well you can still tell her how you feel."

"It's not that simple. I'm sure you can imagine why, you're going through it yourself."

Tyler didn't press on the subject after that.

* * *

><p>Jeremy finished his shower, dressed and brushed his teeth without any urgency. He wasn't hungry for breakfast for some reason.<p>

There was a knock on the door.

"It's me." Katherine called.

"Come in."

She opened the door and stepped inside. "Please tell me you're coming or I'm going to go all ballistic on your ass."

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "I don't have to go."

"Is it because Tyler is the one who's inviting you? Come on, he invited Matt too!"

"I don't need reasons. Just don't feel like going, okay?"

Katherine shook her head in disbelief. "What are you going to do here all day? Play Call of…whatever?"

"Call of Duty."

"Oh, well, excuse me! And you are coming with me whether you want to or not. Even Jenna is going to the movies tonight!"

"By herself."

"She knows that; don't make her feel bad. She's been trying to find a good man."

His expression softened. "I know." He leaned against the wall and sighed, closing his eyes. Neither of them said anything for a long moment.

"So your admirer continues to send you stuff." Katherine said; it wasn't a question but a statement.

"More drawings now than anything else."

"Yeah I saw. They're very good too."

Jeremy nodded and opened his eyes. "Do you think it's Tyler?"

Katherine didn't react or blink at this. "What made you think that?"

"I'm his mate and he needs to get me to trust him somehow."

Katherine just stared at him. Finally she shrugged. "Well you do what you think is right…for both of you."

"What about Matt?"

She lowered her gaze to the floor. "He'll understand."

Jeremy wasn't convinced. He couldn't just tell Matt he was dumping him for his best friend. Anyway, he didn't love Tyler…well; he didn't hate him…but… He couldn't finish the thought. "That would be nice, me there saying 'hey Matt, I am dumping you for your best friend. I know he's straight but I am his mate and we have to be together or he'll make me submit and possibly rape me'. Gee, I can't think of any reason why that wouldn't work," the sarcasm in his voice was so thick you could have caught it with a spoon.

Katherine just looked at him again, a sympathetic look on her face. "Just wear something that doesn't make you look emo."

"When did I say I was going?" He wasn't sure what she was referring to.

"You didn't. I decided for you."

Jeremy glared at her as she danced out the door.

* * *

><p>Matt glanced over at the clock on the wall. 4:55. His shift would be over in five minutes. He took his last order and walked over to the counter to leave for the chef to see.<p>

"Matt!" his manager called to him. He walked over to his boss.

"Yes sir?"

His manager, Gabriel, looked a little desperate. "I need you for a couple of more hours, man."

Matt's eyes widened. "But I worked since 9:00 this morning!" He didn't care about the slightly aggressive edge to his voice; he wanted to go to his boyfriend.

"I know," Gabriel held his hands up in a peace gesture, "and I thank you so much, you're my best worker here. But Sydney called in sick and you know how full it gets on the weekends."

Matt scratched the back off his head. "I'm sorry I don't think I can. I have things tonight." He didn't mention that he didn't buy Sydney being sick and he couldn't help but think that Gabriel didn't buy it either.

"I know there are parties and such I'm sure you want to be on tonight and I wouldn't like for you to miss them but you'd be a life saver."

Matt understood him but…

"I'll pay you triple an hour."

Matt's mouth dropped open. _Triple?_

"And you can take Monday and Tuesday off! Fully paid! Please, Matt! Sydney's replacement won't start before Monday."

The proposition sounded very good, and obviously Gabriel wanted to get rid of Sydney.

"How long?" Matt asked, keeping his voice neutral.

"Until about 9:00."

"About?" His façade broke.

"Okay, 9:00. Will you do it?" Gabriel's eyes pleaded with Matt.

Matt sighed. Let God take this into consideration. "I'll do it, sir."

"Thank you, thank you!" Gabriel grinned from one ear to the next. "You are the greatest!"

Matt nodded. "Can I have a moment to tell someone I'm going to be late?"

"Of course! Thank you so much again!"

Matt nodded, resisting the urge to suddenly flip him off. Gabriel was a nice guy but Matt knew deep inside, he was doing this because he didn't want to lose customers. He went to the bathroom to call Jeremy. He saw the message the younger boy had sent.

_I'll go. I'll be ready at 8:00._

Matt smiled and called Jeremy. He picked up on the third ring.

"Hey."

"Hey, I just saw your message and…I have some bad news."

"Uh oh. How bad?"

"A little bad. I'm working until 9:00 tonight. My boss told me he'd pay me triple and give me Monday and Tuesday off next week. One of the workers called in sick, I guess and it does fill up on Saturdays. Are you okay if I meet you there? You have a ride with Katherine right?"

"If you want to stay to help fill in, that's fine. Don't forget to mention that to the person who called in sick. The asshole owes you one. I mean sick? Please, he'll be drunk off his ass tonight." Matt smiled as Jeremy didn't buy it either. "But yeah she can give me a ride. Stefan will be coming with us."

Matt chuckled. "Probably and I will mention it. It's a girl actually but it won't make a difference—hello twenty first century. Okay, good, so I'll meet you there."

"Cool. I'll see you there."

Pause.

Matt licked his lips, knowing why there was an award pause. The words 'I love you' were, sadly, tense words between them. At least for Jeremy it was. But it was fine with Matt. He loved Jeremy either way and was happy to have him by his side.

"Bye." Matt said and hung up. Matt sighed and leaned against the wall, resting for a moment before going back out to continue working.

* * *

><p>They were on their way to the Lockwood mansion. Katherine and Stefan were holding hands in the front seats as Stefan volunteered to drive. It seemed that everyday their relationship grew and they got closer as a couple. If someone saw them together, one would think they had been together for years.<p>

_Or maybe they are just making up for the lost time,_ Jeremy thought. He looked down at himself, a regular outfit of jeans and a black slim-fit shirt.

"I can't believe Jenna finally got a date!" Katherine said, turning in her seat to look at him.

"She told us it wasn't a date. Mason and she are just longtime friends."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "She's just shy. I can smell a date a mile away!"

Jeremy smirked, unlike Katherine he knew that they were going to watch Kung-Fu Panda 2 – he had seen the tickets on the table… accidently. "Well, I'm just glad she's not going to be alone tonight."

"Me too. Just as long as he doesn't hurt her, or else he'll be facing some serious consequences!"

Katherine then turned to talk to Stefan. Jeremy looked out of the window and thought about Matt. He was working when he should have been there with them, having fun and not worrying about anything for the night. He also thought about Vicky and how sad she must be, being sick and not being able to hang out and have fun tonight.

They arrived at the mansion a couple of minutes later and noticed that some people had already arrived. The music was blasting; they could feel the vibrations. Stefan found a parking space around the corner of the mansion, than got out fast to open the door for Katherine. Jeremy drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly after he emerged from the car. Why should he be nervous about Tyler? It's not like he was going to try anything with so many people around. _I hope so at least._

Jeremy followed behind Katherine and Stefan, feeling like a third wheel. He looked down at his cell phone and saw it was only half an hour before 9:00. He hoped Matt wouldn't take long to arrive at the party.

* * *

><p>Steven had felt good the following days after he fucked Daniel. The guy had been a good relief from his angry emotions and he was almost happy to know that he hadn't needed to compel Daniel into giving into his sexual needs. He also had to admit, the boy's blood tasted better than Klaus himself, not that Steven would ever say it aloud. He hadn't talked to Klaus unless it was necessary ever since the phone call at school. Klaus knew what was going on, Steven wasn't stupid but what he hated too was that Klaus decided to go along with his game and not say anything about it. So he mentally fucked Klaus and his brother (even though he didn't exactly care about Elijah) and decided to call Daniel and Patrick to go with him to pay Tyler a visit.<p>

Night time came and he got the text from Daniel saying they were outside. Steven smirked and walked out of his room, ignoring Klaus as he called from the living room.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

Not saying anything more, he closed the door behind him and headed over to Daniel's car. He went to the passenger seat and gave a knowing smile to Patrick.

The guy sighed. "Why do I always have to go in the back?"

Patrick got out and Steven got inside, closing the door. He glanced over at Daniel who was looking at him with a small smirk on his face.

Steven decided to tease him. "Something on your mind?"

_Like I have to ask, even when you think it's just a dream, I know that you would think of it over and over. Nearly drooling about how good I fucked your little bitch ass._

Daniel turned away, shaking his head, the smirk still on his mouth. "No sir."

With that, Daniel drove them off towards the mansion.

* * *

><p>The main entrance to the mansion was open and they walked in easily. Jeremy glanced around, expecting for Tyler to be in sight. He wasn't. He saw people from school he didn't recognize, some drinking and some guys making out with girls.<p>

"So you stick with us until Matt arrives!" Katherine yelled at him over the music.

"It's alright, you guys have fun! I'll stay by the door to wait for him!"

"Are you sure?" Stefan asked, looking at Katherine in hesitation.

"I'm sure! Go ahead!" he motioned them to go.

Katherine shrugged, then casually pointed a finger at him and gave him a 'be careful' look before walking away with Stefan. They walked out of the mansion, down the stairs and rounding a corner, disappearing from Jeremy's view. He sighed and walked back to the entry way, leaning against the side to wait for Matt.

"Hey man! Try it,' a random guy told him, giving him a cup filled with weird smelling liquid.

"I don't drink. Thanks anyway."

"What?"

"I said: I don't drink but thanks anyway!"

"Oh come on! Just one sip then! You'll love it!"

Jeremy knew better then to get pressured into doing something he didn't want, but he went with it and he pressed the sup to his lips and took a small sip. When the liquid touched his tongue, he pulled the cup away, grimacing at the taste. It was sour and had a bad aftertaste.

"What is it?" Jeremy asked. When he didn't get a response, he glanced over at the guy to see no one there. He looked around but didn't see him. Jeremy looked back down at the cup and made a face. _So fucking nasty._

* * *

><p>Steven saw little Jeremy at the entrance, leaning down to place a cup on the floor.<p>

"Hey I know you," he said, coming up to him.

Jeremy looked at him, then straightened himself and stood there staring for a moment.

"You're Steven," he said, the tone flat.

He smirked. "One and only."

The kid glanced at his friends behind him before focusing back on him. "So…what's up?"

"I'm surprised; you're just standing here alone. Don't like to party?"

"I'm actually waiting for Matt."

"Ahhh yes, your boyfriend! I never thought that guy would be gay!" _Or Daniel. _Steven kept his face smooth but mentally smirked at the irony. _Maybe…_

Jeremy blushed. "Yeah, neither did I."

"How did you do turn him," one of the other two boys asked.

Jeremy looked uncomfortable. "I…"

"He must have a good ass in bed! That face cannot be the real reason," another commented, laughing. The first boy joined in.

Jeremy took a step back, this smelled like trouble, and this Steven guy unnerved him for some reason. The problem was he was standing with the back to a column.

* * *

><p>Tyler was talking with some guys and keeping up-to-date with things when he smelled the delicious scent of honeysuckle. His wolf whined and instantly Tyler knew it was Jeremy, only he carried this intoxicating scent. He had decided to come, after all and Tyler's heart gave a little flip at it. He walked outside – his nose leading the way – but came across Katherine and Stefan making out against the wall. Tyler rolled his eyes – a small portion of Jeremy's scent must have clung to Katherine, but there was a stronger trail in the air and he continued to follow that one.<p>

"Ahhh yes, your boyfriend! I never thought that guy would be gay!"

Steven! Tyler felt his pulse quicken, anger rising inside him. That asshole was the last one he wanted to see.

"Yeah, neither did I." That was Jeremy and Tyler's fine ears picked up that he sounded uncomfortable. Tyler's hands clenched into fists and fire ran through his veins, the wolf inside of him snarled angrily and Tyler caught himself wishing he had fangs and fur now. No one would be threatening his Jeremy. He began to run towards them.

"How did you turn him?" Daniel.

"I…"

"He must have a good ass in bed! That face cannot be the real reason!" Patrick.

Logical thought stepping in, Tyler slowed his speed to normal walking before he was in sight and came out of the house through the wooden and glass doors. "Is there a problem," he asked calmly but with a hint of anger.

Patrick and Daniel stopped laughing at his glare. Steven turned to him, a calm expression on his face. Jeremy looked at him and his eyes were wide. Tyler gave him a small nod.

"Well, well, well, so the knight in shining armor finally arrived." Steven said, fully facing Tyler.

Tyler stared right into his face, standing so near he was covering Jeremy and could head-butt Steven easily if he needed to. "I did not invite you."

A sudden flash of fear crossed Steven's face but it was too quick for Tyler to be sure.

"Easy Lockwood, I'm not here to fight."

"Then leave him alone!"

"You know, I wonder what your daddy would say if he knew his son had decided to play for the other team."

Tyler's eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me?"

"Now why would I do that," he asked, mocking an innocent look. Tyler realized people were looking. Luckily they couldn't hear over the music.

He focused back on Steven, slightly baring his teeth. "Get the fuck off my property!"

Steven's face turned cold, glaring at him. Then he glanced at Jeremy - lingering there a second too long for Tyler's liking - before turning back to him. "Be careful, Lockwood, you never know when bad things might happen."

With that, Tyler watched as Steven turned around and snapped his fingers at the two boys and began walking down the stairs. Patrick and Daniel looked at Steven in confusion then turned a glare on Tyler before following behind Steven like trained dogs.

* * *

><p>Tyler had just saved him from further humiliation. He watched as Steven left and turned to Tyler as he turned to look at him.<p>

"You okay?" he asked, Jeremy noticed unease in Tyler's voice.

All Jeremy found himself capable off was nodding. That was until he actually noticed Tyler. Sure he had seen a picture, seen him at school and had sat near him that one time at the lake but now he actually found himself paying attention to Tyler's looks. And damn the guy was gorgeous. He had a high forehead, thick black hair, short at the sides to reveal his ears – he must have worn earrings once judged by the closed holes in them – and the hair on top styled to be slightly pointy. His eyebrows were equally dark and thick, it was the kind where you could see every movement. His eyes were not only brown and pensive but also quite big. Without his strong jaw he might have been called doe-eyed with these eyes but the rest of his face balanced the eyes out and they made it look soft despite the obvious signs of masculinity. Jeremy found himself wondering how those eyes looked when Tyler went through the different emotions of the human heart.

His nose made a slight crook, already hinting that he would look like a full man in a few years. His lips leaned more towards the average narrow sort but Jeremy felt himself drawn to them anyhow, albeit he usually preferred them much fuller, one reason why he found Darryl Stephens so hot. As he lingered for a second on Tyler's lips he noticed a light beauty spot at left side of his jaw. That was also when he started to notice how merciful puberty had been on Tyler, judged by his skin – with its slightly tan complexion – he never had more than a few pimples on his face. Jeremy had to fight the urge to touch that beautiful face. Instead he forced his eyes downwards to look at Tyler's body. He was dressed in a light grey sweater – only being slightly larger than Tyler's body, hinting at his buff form without revealing too much - with buttons down to the middle of his chest, all unbuttoned so the skin there could be seen. The arms were fully covered and he wore a ring on his right middle finger. His jeans were dark blue and while not skin-tight or anything showed how thick his legs were. Would he have turned around there would have been no doubt Jeremy could have marveled at his glutes. Despite the more or less casual clothes he looked hot as hell and nearly screamed money. Jeremy felt totally inadequate in his dark second-hand clothing.

Jeremy felt the heat rise in his body, his heart pace quickened and his nostrils flared. _Of course you have to look totally gorgeous today. I bet you have a six pack and light brown nipples under that shirt. Gosh, I want to suck at your nipples, I wanna grab your body and grind against you. I…_

Jeremy blushed. Embarrassed by his thoughts but even more so by how plain he looked compared to Tyler. He was skinny and pale, his shirt only highlighted how scrawny he was and the dark colors made him look like an emo, not to mention his boring floppy hair. At that exact moment Tyler raised an eyebrow, a small amused smile appearing on the corners of his mouth. _Fuck! He noticed! __Fuck! He is breathtaking when he smiles._

Jeremy pulled himself away from the column and began to head for the bottom of the stairs.

"Thank you for helping me. I should go look for Katherine and…," he said without looking at Tyler. Scared about the thoughts in his mind possibly controlling his actions.

"Wait…please."

Tyler's hand had shot out and grabbed his arm. The grip was gentle, almost like Tyler was holding onto him so he could guide Jeremy into his arms. Then he noticed how warm Tyler's hand was on his skin – he mentally berated himself for wearing a short-sleeved one and he had to calm his breath. _Get a grip on you Gilbert!_

"Can we talk," Tyler asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

He looked into his eyes; they almost seemed to be begging silently. _Please don't do this, no puppy eyes._

Jeremy swallowed and nodded. Tyler let him go and Jeremy followed down the stairs to the back of the house. _Man, what a back, I wanna rub my cock against your ass. _Only a few people where there, talking and some making out but none of them paid any attention to the two teens.

Tyler sat on a bench while Jeremy stood, not wanting to get too close, the urge to jump Tyler being too strong. The guy brought out...new thoughts out of him.

"What did you want to talk about?" Jeremy asked.

Tyler frowned. "Why are you scared of me? Is it because you think I'll hurt you again?" Tyler's brown eyes looked questioningly at Jeremy.

Jeremy bit the inside of his lip. Tyler didn't know that he knew what he was.

"I'm just a cautious person," he lied.

Tyler smiled at that - Jeremy's heart jumped - and looked straight ahead with a calm expression on his face.

"Matt is lucky to have you."

Jeremy's eyes widened. _Are you__ serious?_

"Ever since his mother left it's like his whole life is just to go to school and work. I don't even know where he finds the energy now but then…" he paused and looked over at Jeremy. "I have a guess on what keeps him going."

He gave Jeremy a knowing smile.

Was he giving him up to Matt?It sounded a lot like it but then he didn't know what really was going on in Tyler's head.

Then his mood suddenly changed. Tyler's face darkened slightly and he stood up. Jeremy backed up a step, surprised and a little afraid. What was he going to do?

"But sadly, I can't let him keep you," his gaze locked with Jeremy's. "Jeremy. I need you and you need me. I know you can feel something for me."

Tyler advanced slowly towards him. Jeremy would have done the smart thing and run but his feet felt suddenly felt like a hundred pounds. Seconds later, both were only an arm's reach away from each other. Suddenly, all thoughts of Matt were gone. Jeremy couldn't grasp what was wrong with him. Despite how he had acted just a few minutes ago this guy was in truth the stereotypical caveman but all Jeremy wanted was for Tyler to pull him close and kiss him, touch him and make them one.

Tyler must have seen something on his face because he began to lean in, not seeming to care if anybody saw them. Jeremy could almost feel Tyler's warm breath. _Kiss me!_

"Jeremy," someone called.

The sound brought Jeremy back down to earth. It was as though someone had pumped up the volume, the sounds of the party and the late summer night air came crushing down on him. He turned towards the source of the sound and gasped.

Matt was coming right at them.

* * *

><p>Note: Heart attack time, I know XD Matt is here! Review=Matt never showed him and the kiss happened.<p> 


	27. Liar

First Time for Everything

Chapter 27

Note: Thank you to my beta reader for another round of his awesome miracles and to you readers for continuing your encouragement and liking the story! XoXo A shout out to Ladyamalia13 to say that she's doing awesome with her work and I admire her because she's doing her first Jyler story here on fanfiction! So go check out her story it's really amazing! Who can say no to Jyler? ;) Also thank you to The Wonderful Mistique for giving me the idea in a section during Matt/Jeremy aftermath conversation in the car!

Life sucks then you die: Yeah sorry for that cliffie but it's all for the drama :D

093022m: I don't blame you! XD I was so happy that Jeremy is finally thinking about Tyler in a different way!

* * *

><p>The way Steven had looked at Jeremy hadn't sit well with Tyler, not well at all. And what he had said afterwards, made Tyler wish he could sink his teeth into the assholes throat and tear it out. Tyler had no idea how much Steven knew, but the way the fucker had been acting ever since he had spotted Jeremy made it clear he was up to something. Tyler had no problem believing that Steven would be using Tyler's father as a threat. That and the fact that he would be practically dead to his old man, should it ever come out who was the reason for Tyler's wet dreams these days. But he didn't want to think about that right now. Satisfied that Steven had left; Tyler turned and checked for Jeremy.<p>

"You okay," I asked slowly and with a hint of unease in his voice he wasn't able to repress. Tyler didn't want Jeremy to leave, but he would not sink so low as to beg. The Fates must be on his side this time, Jeremy was here and Matt nowhere in sight. The opportunity was perfect.

Jeremy only nodded at his question, his expression telling Tyler that his mind was somewhere else. For a second, Tyler thought the boy might be in shock but then his fine ears picked up the loud and steady rhythm of Jeremy's heart and he noticed how the boy was looking at him, as if Tyler was an ice cream sundae and Jeremy was about to lick him. Tyler felt his wolf purr with joy that his mate thought he was attractive. Tyler felt the same way.

Tyler had known that Jeremy was gorgeous the first time he had laid eyes on him in Matt's house. But so close up it became apparent how god damn beautiful he was. Either puberty had been very merciful with him or he was already through the worst, either way Tyler could barely make out any signs. Jeremy's face looked very smooth, very soft, with big brown eyes – seemingly sucking Tyler in - highlighted by thick brown eyebrows that were of a significantly darker brown than his rather light brown, floppy and shaggy ear-length hair. Jeremy had a nice slightly round nose, slightly upturned and no sign of ever becoming pointy.

When Tyler's eyes slid lower down to his lips, he saw how full and soft looking they were. Tyler felt a shot of anger in his veins that Matt had the right to kiss them instead of him. He stood totally motionless waiting until the thoughts about Matt got washed away by Tyler spotting the two little beauty spots on Jeremy's right cheekbone. From there he discovered the rest of the skin. Jeremy had a nice light tan that was not too light, but just right in Tyler's eyes. He guessed that the color was a gift from growing up in Florida, the thought bringing up images of Jeremy on the beach and Tyler wondered what Jeremy looked like without so much clothing on his body. His figure was far less muscular than Tyler's but he wasn't skinny. Jeremy was lean with a bit of muscle and biceps underneath the sleeves of his shirt which hugged and showed off his body nicely. He wasn't wearing anything provocative but the way those jeans and shirt hugged him was downright sinful, making Tyler's body heat rise.

Tyler's gaze rose back to his mate's face to find him blush. Tyler couldn't help but smile, amused at the thought of the boy thinking dirty thoughts about him. And by the way his heart nearly jumped out of his chest it must have been pretty dirty. One thought let to another and Tyler found himself at the same time turned on and chilled to the bone. For a few seconds he wondered how it would be if Jeremy would literally jump Tyler right here and now, kissing Tyler senseless, his lean body rubbing against Tyler's all the time.

Tyler was tossed out of his thoughts when Jeremy left the column and started to walk down the stairs. "Thank you for helping me. I should go look for Katherine and…" he trailed off, not looking at Tyler as he passed him. Tyler's heart ached at the thought of him leaving, he wanted -_needed_- to talk to Jeremy. The boy was the whole reason for the party in the first place, the chance would be wasted if were to let him go so he reached out and took a hold of his arm.

"Wait…please." Tyler said. It almost sounded desperate to his ears, but then, to the other boy, his sudden movement was enough for him to know. Now, as Tyler was even closer to Jeremy, he was able to notice a few more details. The sweet honeysuckle tickled his senses and almost made his eyes flutter shut in pleasure. Compared to his own hot skin, Jeremy's felt refreshingly cool, and his back had started to sport a nice V.

Jeremy didn't say anything or struggle against him so he continued. "Can we talk?"

Jeremy turned to look at Tyler, uncertainty clearly in his eyes. He must have seen something on Tyler's face, because he nodded after a moment. Tyler mentally sighed with relief and let him go. He descended down the stairs as well, thinking that there was no need to tell Jeremy to follow. A second later, he heard the boy's footsteps behind him. When Tyler had reached the bottom, he took a quick glance at the street as a car passed and wondered whether Matt had changed his mind regarding coming to the party; if yes he hadn't sent Tyler anything. Either way, he knew he couldn't let Jeremy leave without talking to him.

Tyler led Jeremy to the back of the house where he heard less people and noise. He glanced around to make sure of potential eavesdroppers and saw there were only a few people around them, some talking and some making out, but not any of them paid the duo any attention. Tyler was grateful that they were minding their own business for once and walked over to the white bench, sitting down and looking over at Jeremy who stood there. He looked down at Tyler with anxiety in his body language.

"What did you want to talk about," Jeremy asked, low enough so they wouldn't attract any unnecessary attention.

Tyler didn't like that Jeremy didn't trust him. Well, he couldn't blame him; not considered the last time they had tried to actually talk. Tyler had pinned Jeremy to the ground and had to be separated from him by force. He had screamed at Jeremy, cursing and wishing that they had never met. "Why are you scared of me? Is it because you think I'll hurt you again?"

Jeremy stared at him for a second before he said, "I'm a cautious person."

_He's lying. _Tyler could tell by the blips and upticks of Jeremy's heart; not the strong and loud drumming of a heart driven by desire and lust. If Jeremy was scared that he'll hurt him again, he was being paranoid. Tyler would hurt himself first before he would hurt him again. No one would hurt _his _Jeremy. Tyler smiled at how good it felt to think that. Tyler heard Jeremy's heart skip a beat towards desire. Taking it as a sign he looked straight ahead and let his expression go back to being calm.

"Matt is lucky to have you." Tyler said. He could practically feel the boy's surprise at this, not that his big eyes weren't proof enough.

"Ever since his mother left it's like his whole life is just to go to school and work. I don't even know where he finds the energy now but then…" he paused and looked Jeremy over. "I have a guess on what keeps him going." _And I know that Patrick was an idiot._

He smiled at him even though on the inside he was feeling jealous. Matt had been his best friend since as far back as he could remember, and now he was his competition. Tyler didn't want him to be but what choice did he have; Jeremy was destined to be Tyler's and Matt was the biggest problem that was in the way of having what was his. He didn't dare to think of murder as the solution, Matt was not Steven. If it had been Steven, Tyler would find the asshole himself and tear him into pieces, spreading them all over the woods for the animals to feed on. But Matt was not Steven so he would have to go through the only option left, steal Jeremy's heart. Matt had told him in the hallway at school, he wasn't sure if Jeremy even returned his feelings which gave Tyler an advantage. Matt would survive a rejection and heartbreak, but Tyler wouldn't.

_Sorry, man, __but you have a choice in this, I don't._

Tyler looked over at Jeremy and stood up. The other boy took a step back in surprise at his sudden movement.

"But sadly, I can't let him keep you," He continued staring Jeremy right into the eyes. "Jeremy, I need you and you need me. I know you can feel something for me."

He advanced slowly upon Jeremy, not wanting to make the other run away in fear but, surprisingly, the boy didn't even move. The way Jeremy's heart picked up pace again Tyler could tell that Jeremy was welcoming him no matter what he might say to deny it. He stared with wide eyes as Tyler was only an arm reach away from him. Tyler could smell his arousal as he started at Jeremy, almost waiting for the boy to give him permission to make another move. Jeremy never looked away from him as suddenly; his gaze seemed to yell at him to kiss him like he wanted. _Both_ wanted each other. In a fraction of a second Tyler noticed that Jeremy was only slightly smaller than him and it excited him not having to bend down all the time.

Tyler felt his heart beat rise – matching Jeremy's – as he began to lean towards him. He could practically feel the softness of those lips against his already…

"Jeremy!"

Tyler's eyes snapped open. _It couldn't be. _He jerked back from Jeremy, backing up a few steps and turned to see Matt coming their way. Tyler swore under his breath. _He probably saw what was happening…or what__ was__ about to happen, anyway. _Fuck, he had been so close. Tyler looked at Jeremy who was looking ready to collapse in panic as he looked towards Matt.

* * *

><p><em>He didn't see anything, it was too dark. He didn't see anything, it was too dark. <em>Jeremy kept repeating the words in his head as Matt ran over to him.

"What's going on? You okay," Matt asked him.

"I—we…" he trailed off, not trusting his voice. Matt turned away and looked over at Tyler for a moment before looking back at him. He gave him a firm look.

"Did he hurt you," he whispered.

"No." Jeremy said quickly, his voice suddenly higher than anticipated due to the last stages of voice change. Matt frowned and looked him over for any signs of bruises. Jeremy looked over at Tyler who hadn't moved from his spot, his face half covered in the shadows, expression blank as his eyes stared into his own. _What was he thinking right now?_

"I saw him standing close to you, Jer. I didn't know who it was at first but then I saw it was Tyler." He paused and glared over at Tyler whose expression was still half-covered by the shadows. "Are you sure he didn't hurt you?"

Matt turned his whole body around to face Tyler and took a step towards him. Jeremy quickly reached out and grabbed Matt's hand.

"Don't," he cried. If Matt would fight Tyler, Jeremy knew Tyler could lose control and maybe even kill Matt in front of his guests. Jeremy would stand no chance in stopping the werewolf.

Matt turned to him with a surprised look.

"Don't fight! Please," Jeremy nearly begged. "He didn't hurt me, alright? Can we just go?"

Matt started at him for a long moment, searching his eyes. Jeremy felt a large pang of guilt rise in his chest. He may not be lying to Matt about Tyler not hurting him but he knew he couldn't tell that he had been about to cheat on him with his best friend. Had he cheated anyway? He had wanted Tyler to kiss him only moments before – more than kissing actually – and Matt had been completely erased from his mind. No one else had existed but Tyler and himself. _Well, I'm not sleeping well tonight._

Matt turned to look at Tyler again. He wasn't glaring anymore but his expression wasn't friendly either.

"I'll talk to you later," Matt's voice told Jeremy it wasn't a question before he pulled Jeremy with him without another word. Jeremy followed, not daring himself to glance over at Tyler, too scared of what he would see or even being so weak as to run to him. The elder boy's eyes were practically burning a hole on the back of his head as he headed back to the front of the house. Jeremy couldn't believe his own weakness.

"Where's Katherine and Stefan," Matt asked.

"Let's just go. Katherine has her own car to get back home," Jeremy noticed his voice sounded sad. He hoped Matt wouldn't interpret it wrong, as small as the chance for that was.

Matt sighed and nodded. "Fine, let's go."

Jeremy knew he would be asking questions once they were alone. How in the world would Jeremy be able to explain being so close to Tyler? He couldn't just say they were talking; normal people don't talk that close for no reason. _Unless you were doing something you weren't supposed to. _Bringing that Steven guy up would be no option either, what good would that bring?

Matt let go of his hand and led Jeremy over to his car, ignoring any greetings from other people at the party as they walked to his car. Matt opened the door for him and Jeremy got in quietly, the guilt stabbing his.

Matt got into the driver's seat and turned on the car, driving them towards Jeremy's house.

The entire ride Jeremy was gazing at his boyfriend out of the corner of his eye. Matt had a small frown on his face as he stared straight ahead at the road. It felt like an eternity before they arrived. When Matt turned off the engine, Jeremy knew it was time for the questions to begin. The two boys sat in silence for a moment, the only sounds in the car coming from their breathing. After a while Jeremy glanced over at Matt who was still staring straight ahead.

"Jer, do you care about me?" Matt was still not looking at him, his tone flat.

Jeremy's eyes widened, his heart beat quacking. _He knows! _

Matt finally turned to look at him in the eye. Jeremy used all the willpower he could muster at the moment not to look away.

"Yes," he managed out.

"Then can you be honest with me?"

"Um…sure."

"What happened back there?"

"I told you he didn't hurt me."

"Then why was he standing so close to you? Was he threatening you?"

"No." Jeremy kept it to himself that what Tyler had done would have been exactly that, except that Jeremy had been turned on instead of scared.

Matt sighed heavily and leaned back against his seat, staring up at the ceiling in frustration. "Well I can't read your mind so you have to explain it to me."

Jeremy knew he had to lie in this. It would forever be on his conscience but he didn't think Matt would be able to handle the truth. They both couldn't. It was hard enough thinking about what he had had wanted from Tyler. All those dirty thoughts that had slipped into his mind so naturally like breathing and he had liked it. Jeremy didn't think he couldn't feel any more of a horrible person. Why couldn't he just feel that way for Matt? Matt was handsome, had a great body, beautiful blue eyes and was an overall good guy; so why in hell didn't he affect Jeremy that way? Damn every normal boy would already have a raging hard-on just sitting next to him.

"Tyler was drunk. He was talking to me about you and he didn't want for other people to hear so he leaned in close but he wasn't hurting me." _Okay so that wasn't a total lie._

Matt turned to him, confused. "Talking to you about me? What was he saying?"

"About how your mother left you and Vicky and that you're always working now. How he's surprised you had the energy to go to school and work for almost every week."

Matt huffed in disbelief. "Well it's not like those people knew my mother left but, ok, whatever. Anything else?"

"No."

Matt's face softened slightly and reached over to hold his hand. "I'm sorry. I just didn't like how Tyler was that close to you."

"Its fine," Jeremy mumbled, looking down at their entwined hands. Matt didn't deserve this. Jeremy had accepted to be with Matt and that meant they had to trust each other. He was sure Matt trusted him -as far as we knew anyway- and he wanted to keep it that way. Tonight had been a mistake. He shouldn't have let Tyler get so close to him, get into his mind and make him forget Matt completely. Tyler was a rich, spoiled brat who didn't actually care for anyone but himself. Not only that, he was a werewolf. Tyler was a monster, a killer, and not even Jeremy could change that. He had only scared Steven off because he considered Jeremy his property. But he couldn't deny all those thoughts and feelings when he had been with Tyler not long ago. Jeremy wanted to convince himself that Tyler had used some kind of dark magic on him but he failed completely. His heart denying the lie with all its might and it scared him. He was scared of falling for Tyler Lockwood. He had to stay away from him or at least try to be with Matt when Tyler was ever going to be near. Tyler had to learn Jeremy wouldn't cheat on Matt; that he had to respect that and move on in whatever way he could. Starting now.

Jeremy leaned over and kissed Matt deeply. Matt froze for a moment, shocked by this; it had always been him who had initiated the kissing every time they were together. Matt responded with gentle, tender kisses that should have melted Jeremy but now didn't even raise his heart anymore. Both pulled away after a moment catching for breath, but for different reasons, Matt was horny as hell and Jeremy simply had stopped breathing when their lips had met. Jeremy knew after the words he was about to say there was no turning back. Or at least, there wouldn't be an easy way out.

"I love you." _Liar_, the voice inside him accused.

Matt's mouth dropped open as he stared into his face. After a moment he asked, "Really?"

Jeremy forced the most authentic smile he could manage. "I do." _Liar!_

The biggest smile Jeremy has ever seen broke out upon Matt's face. "I love you more, baby."

Matt kissed him and pulled him into a hug. Jeremy felt tears in his eyes, but he didn't cry. He was such an asshole.

* * *

><p>Tyler was drunk and was fucking happy with it. He had even tried to make out with a few girls but they all tasted and felt like shit. Jeremy simply couldn't be replaced. <em>Well Gilbert, looks like you ruined God's gift to womankind.<em>

Everyone left a little before 2:00 am without Tyler having to tell them. He was grateful for finally being alone as he got up from the couch to turn off the music. Tyler listened for any guests who might still be lingering in the rooms upstairs. Thankfully, he had locked his room and his parents to avoid theft or damage. When he didn't hear – or smell – anybody, he went to the kitchen to grab an anonymous number of beer bottles from the fridge and took a long swing. He glanced over at the now closed doorway when he heard laughter getting close to the mansion. It took him a moment to realize it was Mason and Jenna.

"Remind me never to go see sequels again," Jenna said, laughing.

"Oh come on, the movie wasn't that bad! And you found the soothsayer hilariously funny; you loved every time she ridiculed the peacock."

"And you were close to meltdown when you saw baby Po," Jenna laughed. Tyler guessed that his uncle was probably rolling his eyes and smirking now.

He could hear them entering the house before Mason's whistle sliced through the silence of the mansion.

"Not as bad as I thought it would be," Jenna commented, coming in behind Mason. Any further words died on her lips when she saw Tyler walking towards them with a beer bottle in his left hand. 'Wasted' was the best word for his appearance; albeit he still seemed to be able to walk steadily so maybe his condition wasn't truly due to alcohol.

Mason's eyes widened when he saw him. "What happened to you?"

Tyler gave his uncle a look that basically told him to wait. Mason got the message and the two turned to Jenna without uttering a single syllable. Jenna wasn't sure what was going on, but the sudden tension in the air was almost tangible. "I should go. It's really late anyway but thank you so much for coming with me tonight."

Mason smiled. "Anytime. You sure you don't want me to take you home?"

"I'm sure, thank you."

She opened her arms to Mason for a hug and he took her, squeezing lightly before letting her go. Jenna smiled at him before turning to Tyler.

"Goodnight, Tyler. Hope you don't feel too bad in the morning." _I am sure you will; either that or you seriously need to work on whatever left you in that mood._

Tyler gave her a smile she couldn't categorize as anything but forced and raised a palm up in goodbye.

Mason had led Jenna to her car and Tyler leaned against the wall to wait, taking another swallow, ignoring that it practically didn't have a taste anymore.

Moments later, Mason came inside, closing the door. "Spill!"

"Jeremy," Tyler said simply.

Mason sighed and came over to him. "Did he tell you he hated you or something?"

Tyler shook his head, looking at the floor an almost pained expression. "Do you know how close I was to kissing him tonight?"

Suddenly an enormous wave of anger swept through his body and a deep animal growl ripped from his throat and he hit the wall with the back of his head, making a hole into it.

"So fucking close," Tyler yelled. "But Matt had to fucking show up!"

"Calm down," Mason ordered, grabbing Tyler's arm. He didn't take the touch well. Tyler swung his arm and punched his uncle in the face. Mason's head flew back with a grunt but quickly recovered and shoved Tyler into the wall, the bottle shattering onto the floor as the man gripped his nephew's hands behind his back. Tyler struggled against his uncle's grip but the older man was stronger.

"Get the fuck off me," Tyler snarled.

Mason let out his own growl but this one was deeper and had power; the sound was like a switch and it made Tyler freeze. A long moment passed and slowly reality set back into Tyler's mind as the anger faded. Mason seemed to realize this but he didn't let him go.

"Listen to me, Tyler; you won't be getting Jeremy this way if you act like this." Tyler closed his eyes and he didn't want to hear it. "You did well in not hurting your friend. So you need to use that control; always. If Jeremy ended up leaving with Matt; now you know why!"

Mason finally let him go; keeping alert in case Tyler tried anything again. Tyler slowly turned around to face his uncle, a confused frown on his face.

Mason stared at him. "Tell me something; how did Jeremy react to you about to kiss him?"

Tyler almost smiled at the memory. "He wanted me, I could tell by his heartbeat and his blush. And if I could have had my way he could have jumped me right there."

Mason paused for a moment before he responded. "But he left with Matt in the end?"

Tyler glared at the entrance behind his uncle. "Yes."

"And you can't imagine why? It's quite obvious," he said with a patronizing tone in his voice.

Tyler turned his glare upon his uncle and said through clenched teeth, "No, I can't so why don't you inspire me?"

"I asked Jenna about Jeremy tonight. By what she told me, he sounded a lot like Matt except more quiet and serious. Do you agree with that?"

Tyler thought about this. "Sure … I guess." _As if I would know._

"Then there's your hint."

Tyler stared hard at his uncle, trying to understand what he was trying to say to him. After a long -_very long-_ moment, Tyler's eyes widened. "You gotta be kidding me. You think Jeremy wants Matt more because his personality is just like his?"

Mason paced around his nephew. "Not that he wants but what he _prefers_,"he looked Tyler up and down, "especially considered your actions_._" He stopped and sighed before continuing. "It's logical, Tyler. Every girl in this town would agree with me when I say that anybody would prefer a guy like Matt over someone like you. He is masculine but at the same time has a sense of sweetness, while you are…," he trailed of obviously trying to arrange his words before speaking them. "If you ask me Tyler I would guess that the female population at your school would come to you because you give them what they wanted at the moment: sex. In the long run, they will want to marry a person…"

"I know, I know, I get it," Tyler snapped in frustration. "Like Matt," he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Which he so wasn't.

Mason just smiled at him, allowing everything he just said to sink into Tyler's brain. Tyler licked his lips. "So your point is that I basically have to change everything about my personality?"

Mason chuckled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not everything. You're still learning and I know this is all new to you but you're going to have to try to be… sensitive."

"Like Matt," Tyler mumbled, rolling his eyes. _Great, demanding from a lion to become a vegetarian would be easier._

"Sorry to say it but yes. If you truly want to win Jeremy's heart without killing anybody, then you'll have to do it the hard way."

"Matt doesn't really have it in the first place," Tyler mumbled. "He told me at school recently that Jeremy doesn't seem to respond to his feelings."

"Use that to your advantage," Mason advised but judged by his tone Tyler guessed he didn't like that idea.

Tyler felt a smirk form on the corners of his mouth. "I will."

Mason then walked over to the supply closet and pulled out a mop, broom and a plastic bag; waving the mop at him "The house isn't getting any cleaner."

Tyler was about to make a comeback when he stopped and just walked over to grab the utensil. Jeremy was worth it. That and he had no plan on staying in his parent's home longer than necessary so the sooner he started to be able to care for himself, the better.

Tyler was halfway through the mopping up when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks as Jeremy's face came back into his mind. He remembered the big eyes, the smooth cheeks and most of all the tiny hairs on his chin. Come to think about it, he couldn't remember seeing any hint of shadow on Jeremy's face. And there had been the sudden rise in his voice. Tyler's mind raced through his memories - eyes darting in all directions - but he couldn't remember anyone ever mentioning Jeremy's age. Sure Matt dated him but Matt was only a minor himself and so head over heels into Jeremy he probably hadn't given much thought about it. But thinking about the whole situation had taught Tyler the hard lesson to care for details and the detail now prominent in his mind was that he would be 18 soon, very soon in fact and therefore of age. But what about Jeremy? "Damn!"

* * *

><p>Maybe he deserved Tyler. As Jeremy entered his dark bed room – not bothering to put on the light – he couldn't help but think that way.<p>

Did he love Matt? No.

He took off his shirt and threw it randomly into the room.

Had he told Matt that he loved him? Yes.

He sat down on his bed and took of his shoes, tossing them away. Staring into the darkness, his chest heavy as stone; he also got rid of his socks.

Had he just stood there, staring into the night as Matt drove away happy as a pig in shit? Yes.

Jeremy angrily stripped out of his jeans, leaving only his boxers and crawled to the head of his bed. He grabbed his blanket, enveloped himself in it and curled into a ball.

_Please_, he pleaded to the Fates, _please not Tyler, give me Matt_.

* * *

><p>The smell of cleaning agent still on his hands Tyler got into his room and stripped; his mind still on the subject of Jeremy's age.<p>

Tyler crawled into bed and enveloped himself in his blanket. His mind still on Jeremy and how beautiful he was. Mate or not he had his doubts concerning the legality of him actually having sex with Jeremy. Not to mention that the thought of having sex was still far from being a comfortable one to him. Sex with a boy, even one as breath-taking as Jeremy, still seemed completely alien to him.

Tyler took a deep breath and decided to better get a good night sleep. Not to mention that the room started to circle around him despite the fact that he lay still. He closed his eyes and soon went to sleep.

* * *

><p>What was wrong with him? Tyler Lockwood was a fucking predator, a caveman; he didn't even want Jeremy, not really, but all that came into Jeremy's mind was Tyler and Jeremy couldn't sleep. Jeremy was yearning to feel that body pressed against his own, wanted to rip those clothes from Tyler's body to capture those nipples with frantic kisses, sucking and licking them. He was just so beautiful, so fucking beautiful. Jeremy was disgusted by these thoughts. What was there about Tyler Lockwood except for his looks? Was Jeremy really that shallow? Would he let warm brown eyes, soft lips, beauty spots and broad shoulders…?<p>

Jeremy couldn't hold it, he slit into his boxers, grabbed his rock-hard dick and began stroking and squeezing it.

* * *

><p>Tyler moved in his sleep, he moaned and groaned as he dreamed. Jeremy was there, naked as the day he was born. Tyler lay under him, on his belly and rested his head on his arms. Jeremy was grinding his hard cock against Tyler's bare ass, while licking and sucking on Tyler's ear lobe.<p>

Tyler rolled over and started grinding against the mattress.

* * *

><p>Jeremy tried to shove Matt into his fantasies but no matter how often he tried it Tyler appeared exclusively. Jeremy envisioned kissing Matt in the cinema only to end up kissing Tyler. He saw Matt raising his shirt only to emerge as Tyler when he slid it off. And no matter how hard Jeremy pushed, no vision of Jeremy and Matt having sex would appear. It was Tyler, always Tyler, Tyler making Jeremy's breath quicken even more. In the end Jeremy lost the struggle and let the wave of fantasies wash over him.<p>

* * *

><p>Tyler started to grind faster as his dream self was lying on top of Jeremy, both grinding against each other, kissing and rubbing each other's bodies. They were covered in sweat, the room filled with their moans and panting. Tyler grabbed both of their cocks and stroked.<p>

The scene changed and Tyler found himself standing, Jeremy bent before him, groaning and gasping as Tyler thrust into him.

* * *

><p>Jeremy had his eyes closed, moaning as the images streamed through his mind. He and Tyler were sweaty and grinding against each other, their lips sealed over each other, their tongues dancing. The scene shifted and Jeremy found himself being fucked by Tyler, both of them standing. Tyler's hands grabbed Jeremy's waist and pounded into him, Jeremy groaning and gasping. Then the scene shifted again and Jeremy again found Tyler under him, their lips glued to each other. Just this time they were not grinding, but Jeremy was fucking Tyler, the bed they lay on squeaked and the room was filled with the sound of Jeremy's balls slapping against Tyler's skin. Then it again shifted and Tyler was fucking him again.<p>

Jeremy stroked off as fast as possible, the heat rising in his body until it exploded down his stomach.

* * *

><p>Tyler grinded faster and faster at the latest two fuck-scenes of Jeremy pounding into him before he fucked Jeremy again, hard and fast. With a groan he came into the mattress.<p>

Tyler would wake up in the morning seeing and above all smelling the evidence. The dream would be forgotten but Tyler would notice that something was different; none of his wet dreams in weeks had made him cum.

* * *

><p>Jeremy grabbed his pillow, buried his face into it and screamed, hoping that it would smother the noise.<p>

When Jeremy came down from the clouds after the glow of his orgasm, he took the pillow off and placed it aside. He should have felt ashamed and disgusted of himself, but at the moment, all Jeremy felt was the rising fear. He wanted Tyler. Bad. Probably more than he wanted anything or anyone in his life but he still didn't want him...even though he did. _Was that even possible? _ He wanted for Matt to be the one Jeremy stayed with but how could he-if their relationship got even more serious in the future-be with someone for the rest of his life that he couldn't even love back? He didn't want to lie to Matt like that.

_But you are, _an evil voice said in his mind. _You're lying to him right now. You're not a better person than Tyler is. _

Jeremy's swallowed, blinking back tears and bringing the pillow below his head to rest it upon as he stared at the closed window. _No, I guess I'm not. _

* * *

><p>Note: Ta da! Don't forget to review!<p> 


	28. Paranoia

The First Time for Everything

Chapter 28

Note: Thank you to my beta reader for his awesomeness! Thank you to you guys for your funny and amazing reviews! :D

093022m: Thankies! And yeah I know he's not looking good for us right now! And about the interactions between Jeremy and Tyler…well you'll see soon ;) but don't worry I feel your pain about them not talking! They were so made for each other!

* * *

><p>Steven had barely slept last night after coming from the party. When Daniel had dropped Patrick off at his house, he had hinted about going somewhere else alone with him. Steven's first guess had been that Daniel had wanted to fuck, but he didn't have the slightest intention to go for it, not at the time. After snapping at Daniel to shut the fuck up and drive, no words had been said between them, even after he had been dropped off, Steven's hearing couldn't even make out so much as a 'shit' when Daniel sped off. Steven was angry as fuck. Tyler had brought those bound up feeling inside him to the surface again and, for a second, he thought he would just attack Lockwood right there and then and get it over with. But he had known it was not the right time so he used all he had to calm himself; despite how tempting the prospect to literally wipe the floor with the asshole had been. <em>Patience, Dorlan, patience!<em>

Steven was still lying in his bed while staring outside the window, his expression blank, listening as his father was brewing his morning coffee and chewing on toast in the kitchen before he went to work. After Steven had attacked his father that afternoon, it was awkward between them. His father was fine and acted like nothing happened thanks to Klaus' compulsion but he always had a trace of fear in his eyes when he looked at his son. Oh well; what was done was done.

Steven hadn't moved a muscle until he heard his father place his cup in the sink and grabbed his briefcase before heading out the door. At the same time as the front door was closing Steven heard a door open from the other side of the hall. He turned his head slightly to the side to listen better and noticed footsteps stop in front of his door. Slow ones, light and almost cautious; not loud and heavy. _Elijah? What the hell does he want?_

The younger brother was usually always quiet, following his brother as if the guy had no brain of his own.

The Original knocked softly on the door, knowing he didn't need to tell Steven who he was.

"What," Steven mumbled.

"Do you have a moment?"

"For what," Steven asked, rolling his eyes.

"Conversation."

Steven wanted to laugh. _Since when did he want to talk?_ Steven listened for Klaus but found the blonde vampire was still off in sleeping-probably in wet dream land- in his own room. Steven was curious now. What did the younger sibling want to say to him without the presence of his brother?

"Come in!"

Elijah opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Steven turned to him. Elijah had changed into his day clothes – casual beige shirt and black khaki pants with matching slippers - and wore a calm expression as he stared back at him.

"You can sit," Steven said.

"Thank you."

Elijah eyed the desk chair and went over, sitting down and setting his entwined hands onto his lap and began to speak. "You've told us how you wanted this Tyler Lockwood werewolf dead. By the bags under your eyes, I'm guessing your lack of sleep is due to him?"

Steven snorted. "He could probably do the same to you if you knew him like I do."

Elijah didn't say anything for a moment. Steven turned around in his bed to face the other vampire fully.

"The point in coming to you this morning, Steven, is to tell you that I want to help you with your…_revenge_," Elijah commented, putting an emphasis on the last word as if it was a funny joke, making Steven glare at him.

Elijah put his hands up at his expression. "Actually, I've already been helping you since the first week we arrived. After you told my brother and I about Tyler and what you plan with him was, I went on doing some research on my own."

Steven raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'research'?"

"I assume that you would call it spying - well, I prefer to use to the term 'observing' - your football teammates, as well as some other classmates and…"

"Creepy," Steven interrupted.

Elijah continued, ignoring this lack of manners, "…and I found out some things of interest I shall share with you. But one thing first that you should keep in mind: we vampires tend to get used to solving our problems through aggression over time, to a large part due to our strength. It's only natural and integral to our beings but sometimes it's just plain ignorance."

"Of what?"

"The one method that can inflict pain upon other people: in Tyler's case the fact that he has found his mate."

Steven's eyes widened. "Who told you…?" Steven definitely hadn't.

"Research."

"Klaus?"

"Research."

Steven collected himself and studied the elder vampire carefully. "What kind of method?"

"It does not have a specific name but that's not what's important, it's what you can do with is what counts."

"So you're saying that this 'method' can inflict greater damage to Lockwood than killing him?" Now that he had spoken it aloud Steven had to admit that just killing Lockwood wouldn't really hurt him, he would just be gone. Where was the satisfaction in that? Torture was what inflicted damage to a person and not death.

"If you still want to kill him in the end, it's up to you but what you can do beforehand will give you the much greater satisfaction than just waiting to kill him alone."

Steven had no desire to tell Elijah that he had figured out this little fact all by himself already. Still, it sounded too good to be true but since it came from a millennia old vampire, it had to be the real deal.

"So how does it work," Steven asked, a little eagerly.

"That depends on several factors. How well do you know this Tyler Lockwood?"

"Well enough."

"Do you know your enemy well enough to know his weaknesses besides his mate?"

Steven just smirked, even if he didn't know all he knew people who could provide him with more information.

"Use it against him and always stay close," Elijah commented his words with a simple and slow nod.

* * *

><p>Jeremy woke up with a start when his door burst open and an angry Katherine came storming into his room. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving the party?"<p>

Jeremy rolled his eyes before rubbing them to banish the remaining tiredness. "Sorry, I forgot I turned into a kid again last night."

"I'm serious! You have to tell me next time!"

"I was with Matt, okay? I wouldn't go with anybody else!"

Katherine paused, eyeing him with crossed arms. "Did you drink last night?"

Jeremy stared at her in disbelief. "Does it look like I have a hangover? Of course I didn't drink," he replied in a snarky tone.

Katherine glared at him before she sighed, rolling her eyes and sitting at the edge of his bed.

"Excuse me; I would like to keep sleeping. So do you mind?" He motioned towards the door.

Katherine ignored him and asked, "So why did you leave early?"

_Oh god, not more questions!_

"Because I wanted to! The end! Now goodbye," Jeremy hissed, covering his head with his bed sheets.

"Did Tyler hurt you again," she suddenly demanded.

_God, give me patience._

Jeremy uncovered his head and glared at her. "Fine! You wanna know what really happened last night? I left so I could confess to Matt that I love him!"

Katherine's face went from angry to shocked, her mouth dropping open at his words.

She recovered slowly and closed her eyes, letting out a long breath through her nose. "You told him you love him?" Her stare demanded an answer.

"Is there a problem with you on that?"

Katherine kept staring, her expression blank. "Depends; do you?"

Jeremy knew what she meant and he quickly answered. "Of course I do."

Katherine's gaze didn't leave his, her eyes searching him silently. After a few seconds, she turned away, her expression not changing. "Sorry I barged in. At least text me next time."

Jeremy's eyes widened when he heard her voice; it was cold and devoid of emotion. She was angry and this was her way of not showing it; he knew it from his mother. Katherine knew that he was lying to Matt and she didn't like it. He didn't like lying to Matt either but she didn't understand what he was going through. She was having a perfect relationship with Stefan and she didn't have to tell him what she was. If they got married in the future, Stefan could go his whole life not knowing his wife was a witch. What was he to do? What options did he have? Try to let it work with Matt or accepting Tyler. And being carried off by a dumb jock with anger management issues who transformed into a man-eating monster once per month and whose idea of sex other people would call rape. Wasn't it lovely?

Katherine left his room, shutting it behind her without another word. Jeremy couldn't feel worse now.

His phone then began to ring on his nightstand and he picked up; it was his mom.

_I guess I can._

* * *

><p>Matt woke up feeling great. Today was Sunday and he had another day off from work - the next two days off too - to enjoy it with his boyfriend who had finally confessed his love for him. For the first time in a long time, things were a lot better.<p>

Matt heard the TV playing softly in the living room, realizing Vicky was up. He got up as well and made his bed before going out to make breakfast.

"Morning, Vic. Been up long," he called.

"No, I made breakfast already. It's on the pan."

Matt saw his sister watching her favorite show; America's Next Top Model. He shook his head; grateful he was a guy. He went to the kitchen and found a stack of three pancakes with bacon on a plate under tinfoil next to the stove.

"Are you feeling better," Matt asked.

He heard his sister's quick footsteps coming to the kitchen and she leaned against the entrance, watching him place the foil to the side and put the plate in the microwave.

"I feel a lot better. That medicine you brought me worked like a miracle. I was able to sleep last night like a baby."

Before Matt could respond Vicky smirked and asked, "How was the party?"

Matt felt himself smile. "Well, I didn't last much there. Jeremy and I left but…"

"But," she insisted.

Matt heard the microwave beeping and he opened the door to pull the plate out.

"Don't leave me in suspense," she whined, her hands entwined and upraised in a begging gesture.

"Jeremy told me that he loves me."

Vicky's mouth dropped open. "He finally did?"

"He finally did," he replied feeling elevated.

Matt got a fork and went over to the table to begin eating. Vicky walked over as well and sat down in the chair to his left, staring at him.

Vicky suddenly looked a little worried.

Matt poured the syrup on his pancakes and looked his sister with a frown.

"Aren't you happy for me," Matt asked.

Vicky licked her lips, giving him a small smile. "I am but there's something I don't get."

Matt cut off a piece of pancake with the side of his fork and plopped it into his mouth before returning his attention back to his sister. He chewed it, trying to read her.

"What?" His mouth was half-full.

Vicky hesitated. "Why did he…take so long to tell you that? I mean, in a normal relationship, people tell that to each other every day don't they? And especially at his age most guys rather say it too fast than too slow."

Matt cut another piece of food onto his plate and stared at it. "He isn't like most guys. I told you before that he needed time to really have feelings for me other than a friend."

"I didn't doubt that he loves you," Vicky protested. "I was just wondering."

"Well he does, alright," Matt suddenly snapped at her.

Vicky jerked back slightly in surprise. Matt was surprised too by his own tone. The outburst had been angry, almost accusing.

"No need to bite my head off," Vicky mumbled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like that," he said with genuine regret in his eyes and voice.

Vicky's softened at his sincerity. "It's alright. I know you love each other. I just want you to be careful."

"No reason to. Like you said, we love each other."

With that, Matt continued to eat.

* * *

><p>Vicky stared at her brother with worry. She did have small doubts about Jeremy's confession of love towards her sibling but she knew he wouldn't take it well if she told him. He would probably just ignore her or snap at her again. She just hoped her brother would have his happy ending.<p>

* * *

><p>Tyler woke up, groaning at 6:00 am in the morning; his head pounding as if there was a hammer battering the inside of his skull. His throat felt dry as hell and he felt nauseous even though his stomach was growling loudly. He could hear Mason snoring in his room. He listened for his parents but then remembered that they wouldn't arrive until this afternoon, probably deciding they would stay at a hotel where their business was at. Better for him, he wouldn't be able to take yelling from his father about why he was having a hangover. But hey, at least the fucking house was clean. He owed his uncle for helping him.<p>

He went down to the kitchen for something to silence his stomach. He turned on the lights, squinting due to the sudden brightness for a moment before going over to the fridge and opening the door. His eyes landed on a pack of raw steaks. His mouth watered, and without a second, grabbed it and slammed the fridge door shut, sitting at the table, deciding to use the foam plate as a coverage for the dripping juice. He ripped the plastic open and started to rip into it, moaning quietly as the flavor hit his tongue deliciously. He should have been panicking that he was eating raw meat like…_what? An animal, which I am?_ He didn't stop until he had finished all three steaks, his hand covered in the bloody juice. He licked them clean, enjoying the lingering taste of blood afterwards. Then he realized his head wasn't throbbing anymore and his stomach felt fine. As reality set in with that, he knew he should have felt something that would have made him feel disgusted with what he just ate. But he didn't. He actually felt calm, as if nothing surprised him anymore. What was still concerning him was Jeremy's age; he would be turning 18 in the next month in September. What if Jeremy was 14 or 15? Their relationship would be illegal. Well, it wouldn't be anybody's business but he would be in risk if someone opened their big mouth to the police…or his father? The one person who scared him more than the police.

He knew he had to talk to Katherine. Get her to meet him somewhere so they can discuss the situation. He couldn't go to her house; he wasn't sure what he would do if he saw Jeremy. He had to talk to her now, he had a feeling he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep anyway.

* * *

><p>Katherine was glowering at her ceiling. <em>What was Jeremy thinking? He's making things worse for himself. All he's going to do is leave Matt heartbroken. There is no way Jeremy can move aside from this werewolf-mate situation without it hurting them both. He doesn't know what he's doing. <em>

She heard her phone begin to vibrate and felt a smile on her face, thinking it was Stefan. She grabbed next to her and lifted it above her to read the text. When she saw it was from Tyler, she frowned; but not because it was him, but what he had wrote to her.

**We need to talk NOW! Emergency! Meet me at my house. **

Katherine gasped. Had he begun to experience side effects? Has he begun to lose control? She knew she had to be ready now. If Tyler snapped and tried to hurt her, she would be ready to put him down. She wouldn't -_couldn't_- kill him though; she would just knock him unconscious. She knew what deep and serious consequences it would were if Tyler was to pass away. _So would Jeremy. _

Katherine texted Tyler she would be there in an hour. She quickly showered and placed on jeans and a black tank top. She placed her hair in a ponytail and didn't even bother with make-up. If Jeremy was in danger, she didn't care if she looked horrible right now, she had to leave and find out what was happening.

She left a sticky note on the railing in front of Jenna's door for her to see later and she quietly went down the stairs, keys in hand and out through the front door.

She arrived at the Lockwood mansion ten minutes later. If a police officer had seen her, she would have gotten pulled over. She quickly got out and ran to the front of the house, ringing the doorbell two times. Minutes later, Tyler answered the door, looking scared.

"What? What's wrong with Jeremy;" she demanded. Tyler closed the door and stepped out onto the porch with her, closing the door.

"I can't believe I didn't ask you sooner," Tyler blurted out.

"Ask me what?"

"I'm turning 18 soon and if Jeremy is 15, we can't be together because it would be illegal!"

Before she could respond to that, Tyler kept going.

"Jeremy looks older when you take his body into account but there isn't one hint of shadow on his jaw, only some random hairs and you know how the people from school can be! They can't mind their own mother fucking business! Sorry for cursing like this in front of you but I'm panicking here! I don't feel attracted to kids but if Jeremy and I have to be together, I don't want to look like some perv robbing the cradle!"

Katherine stared at Tyler like he suddenly confessed he had been born as a girl. It was something else to watch Tyler Lockwood, confident cocky jock of the school, to suddenly look like he was about to have a heart attack. _Tyler thought he was going to look like a pedophile?_

She couldn't hold her laughter in. She leaned with one arm against the wall and had the other wrapped around her stomach. Suddenly she heard a loud male laughter joining her from inside the house. She recognized Mason quickly; making her laugh more now that Tyler's uncle also thought his nephew's sudden paranoia was hilarious.

"What the fuck is so funny? This is serious," Tyler yelled, glaring back and forth between her and in the direction of the mansion.

"I-I'm sorry…I can't…I can't believe you think Jeremy is 15," she managed to say between gasps as she laid her hand over her chest, trying to calm herself down.

Tyler's face went from angry to confused. "What?"

It took her a moment to catch her breath. Mason calmed down inside too.

"Jeremy is not 15, idiot. He's 17. He had his birthday in July." She had to calm herself further. "And regarding his beard: he is a) pretty sloppy when it comes to shaving and b) his facial hair is so light that you often don't see it until he actually grows some stubble.

Tyler stared at her, trying to see if she was serious or not. When he saw she wasn't laughing anymore, he sighed with relief-and probably a little embarrassment.

"Hello, he's a junior! I thought you noticed since you're his stalker!"

Tyler narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't follow him everywhere he goes. I can control my wolf when I'm human."

Katherine smirked. "I believe you but still, I thought you knew. Well, now that this is covered, anything else you would like to know before you get another panic attack?"

"No, I'm good," Tyler replied grumpily.

"You sure," she teased.

He glared at her. "I'm sure, thank you."

She turned serious. "Good because I need to talk to you about something, now."

Tyler nodded. "Did you want…?"

Tyler motioned inside the house where Mason was probably still listening in.

Katherine shrugged. "As long as he doesn't tell the whole town."

Tyler motioned for her to sit down on the porch steps and she sat. Tyler sat down next to her but kept their personal space and waited for her to continue.

Katherine lowered her voice as if they were in the middle of the classroom and anybody would be able to hear their conversation.

"Your uncle is a werewolf too isn't he?"

"Yeah, he's been the one helping me with all this. Is he our topic?"

She shook her head and sighed. "I wish." She pinched the back of her nose. "So listen, I need you not to go ballistic on me or anything. I don't like this either but we need to stay logical."

Tyler stared at her for a moment before he nodded. "Is it that bad?"

Katherine thought about this. "Mostly for you, really."

Tyler took a deep breath and let it out. "Is this about Jeremy?"

"Yeah," Katherine paused. "He told me this morning he confessed to Matt last night that he loves him."

Katherine closed her eyes and waited for Tyler's reaction. She heard a growl coming from her side and her eyes flew open. Quickly standing up she gathered her energy and collected her thoughts, preparing for any violent attack Tyler might come up with.

Tyler kept growling, this time louder, and placed his head in his hands as if trying to calm himself.

"Easy, Tyler. Remember what I said," she said gently but didn't make a move.

He stopped growling and let his hands fall to his sides, straightening to stare up at her, his face twisted in a deep and sad frown, almost as if in pain. Katherine noticed his hands shaking in clenched fists.

"Jeremy is lying," he yelled.

Mason suddenly came out of the house and walked over to them, keeping an eye on Tyler.

Katherine looked at the older man gratefully before focusing back on Tyler.

"I know but its Jeremy's decision. I can talk to him but there's only so much I can say. He's probably scared of what you are and thinks you'll hurt him."

Tyler narrowed his eyes at his uncle. "Yeah, this guy told me last night about that." He returned his gaze on her and stood up. "Katherine, I may envy and maybe even hate Matt for having Jeremy but that doesn't mean I don't think of him as my best friend. I don't like that Jeremy is lying to him about that." He stopped and there seemed to be a struggle inside his mind." Fine, I understand that Jeremy is scared of me but I'm willing to change for him."Seeing Katherine's suspicious look he amended, albeit with reservations. "Not…entirely, but become more like Matt if necessary." He closed his eyes while emitting a sigh." I know Matt will end up heartbroken but fate has spoken and," he rubbed his eyes, "as bad as it sounds, in the end it's always every man for himself. I don't want to go insane with rage and depression because my mate doesn't want to be with me."

"Plus it affects the mate as well. Jeremy will go into a depression unless he's with the person he rightfully belongs," Mason said, glancing at her.

"Yeah, I know. I don't want that to happen. I don't want anything bad to happen to him but it's still his decision. If Jeremy has to learn the hard way," she looked defeated, "what can I do? Nothing, I think, nothing except to wait."

Nobody said anything after that for a long moment but Katherine knew that they were all in agreement. There was really nothing they could do. They couldn't change Jeremy's mind about Tyler overnight. _On a positive note at least Tyler wasn't going through the side effects yet. If I just knew, whether Jeremy does. _Katherine felt a shiver running up her spine. _How long before it would start?_ For all they knew it could happen next week, tomorrow even but they still didn't have a choice. Right now the true fate rested in Jeremy's hands. The one person who was the most reluctant and unwilling in this situation. Katherine suspected that Tyler was only bribing Jeremy to avoid his own demise; given the choice he would probably beat the shit out of him. Fate really was a bitch.

"Do you love him," she asked Tyler.

Mason's expression turned curious to see what the answer would be as well. Tyler swallowed thickly and pressed his lips together.

"Right now I'm just trying to do what's right for the both of us. You agree with me on that, being his cousin?"

Katherine stared at him, not sure what to make of his response but she guessed he was working to be up to it or didn't want to admit it to her. She signed mentally. _Men_.

"Time for me to head back so I'll see you at school. Good to see you again, Mason."

"Same here," he told her, smiling. Tyler remained silent and she turned to head back to her car and drove back to the house.

* * *

><p>Jenna and Jeremy invited Matt for lunch that afternoon. Katherine barely looked at Jeremy the entire meal but had no problem giving smiles and talking with his boyfriend. Jenna noticed something was wrong since her attitude was obvious. After dinner, Jeremy offered to wash the dishes and Jenna offered to dry them. Matt and Katherine went to talk in the living room; Katherine had captured him with tales from her California days. Jeremy shot a look at her, warning her not to say anything stupid, but she didn't seem to notice. Jenna guessed that she did but preferred to ignore it.<p>

Jenna decided to pull Jeremy out off his thoughts. "Matt is a nice guy."

Jeremy's smile was clearly forced in her eyes, guilt eating at his stomach she guessed. "Yeah, he is."

She kept glancing at him in hopes he would continue but he didn't. Neither of them said anything after that until they finished. Jenna placed the last dish on the cupboard and turned to him, placing the drying cloth to the side and reaching over to hold his hand. Jeremy's eyes widened at the touch and glanced over at his aunt.

"Be honest with me on something," she said softly.

Jeremy glanced over in the direction of the living room but didn't respond.

"Do you love him?"

Jeremy couldn't look her in the eye so he turned to stare down the hand that held his. "You know I do."

Jenna squeezed his hand. "Jer, I saw you during dinner. Katherine was talking to him more than you did. I mean, it looked like a challenge for you to even look at him. I thought maybe after all this time you were still shy with him but I see something in your eyes that told me that wasn't true. It's something else."

Jeremy finally met her eye but didn't respond.

"Do you love someone else?"

Jeremy squeezed her hand gently and pulled away. "There is no one else."

He turned and was about to head for the living room when she touched his arm to stop him.

"Listen to me on this Jer. When it comes to broken hearts and choosing the wrong relationships, I am a self-taught expert."

Jeremy sighed. "I know what I'm doing."

He walked away, heading into the living room. Jenna wished she knew what was going on with him.

* * *

><p>Tyler was working on another sketch for Jeremy. He had gone to his uncle with some ideas, telling him he wanted to draw something that would make Jeremy realize he was the one who's been sending all those other drawings and gifts. Mason thought for a moment a smirk suddenly came to his face.<p>

"How about we make this interesting for him?"

Tyler raised an eyebrow in question. Mason motioned for him to wait while he went to the living room. Some searching around in his father's office could be heard and Mason came back, holding a stack of sticky notes in one hand and a pen in the other. He sat back down with him in the kitchen and began to write something on it. Tyler got up and looked over his uncle's shoulder. He wasn't writing; he was drawing symbols. Symbols made out of straight lines but often with patterns. "What are they;" he asked, staring down at the paper

"These are the symbols the ancient psychics supposedly used to foresee someone's future. As far as I know that is rubbish. They were always used by our kind for special events, albeit we also call them Runes and they – don't know how - found their way into human society," he added with a smile. "Each one has a different meaning, well several meanings actually. For example…"

Mason paused and drew a symbol down at the bottom of the words. It looked very similar to the letter 'K', except that the lower line was also pointing upwards, parallel to the upper line.

"This symbol is called 'Fehu'. It means domestic cattle or wealth. Refers to one who is rich or will be rich in the future and it's a sign of hope and plenty."

Tyler nodded and watched as his uncle drew another symbol; this one looking like a capital 'R', but the bow of the 'R' was a triangle.

"This one is 'Raido'. It refers to people who travel psychically, either for vacation or for work."

"This stuff is more interesting than what they taught us in world history class," Tyler said.

Mason chuckled. "Agree with you on that. So go check out the rest if you think you might wanna use them in your sketch." Mason wrote down an internet address, Tyler didn't think any of it.

"Thanks Mason. I owe you another one. I'm thinking of getting it engraved onto a ring, now that I've seen them."

Mason's eyes widened in surprise. "Which one?"

Tyler raised his hand, showing his ring. "This one; I was wearing it at the party. I noticed he looked at it so I'm hoping it could trigger his memory when he sees it."

"Are you going to give it to him in person?"

"No, I was thinking of either leaving it on his bed when he's not home or place it in his locker at school. I'm going a little more with the locker because the bed one will make me look like a stalker."

Mason chuckled loudly. "It would be a little creepy."

"But do you believe he'll look into the symbols?"

He smirked. "Wouldn't you?"

Tyler did investigate more on these runes after that and found some symbols he could defiantly use personally; the symbol of 'Thurisaz' (it looked like someone had turned a 'V' 90 degrees counterclockwise and placed it on a vertical line) which meant a tendency towards change. He used this one because his life was now going in a different direction and had learned to accept it…in certain areas. Next he used 'Kenaz' – a sign like a 'V' turned 90 degrees clockwise - which meant vision, revelation, knowledge, creativity, and inspiration. He used this one because basically Mason was the one who gave him the vision, revelation, and knowledge that Jeremy was his mate. Creativity was now being put to use for Jeremy in this sketch because…well, he inspired it. Pushing aside the feelings of being a nerd, he used three more in his sketch; 'Gebo' or 'gifts' – actually a capital 'X'-, both in the sense of sacrifice and generosity. Did he have to explain this one? 'Wunjo', shaped like a capital 'P' but the bow was a triangle and meaning joy, comfort, and pleasure-not explaining this one either-, 'Hagalaz' – a sort of 'H' except that the vertical line was attached about 45 degrees higher on the left side -, wrath of nature and uncontrolled forces, and last but not least, 'Nauthiz' or 'need' but with restrictions or delays – the rune looked like a crucifix except that the vertical line was pointing about 30 degrees upwards to the left. _Matt._ Tyler was glad his ring was blank all around so the engraves would be able to be placed on it. He knew it would take a few weeks for the ring to be ready when he would leave it at the shop that afternoon but it would be worth the wait.

* * *

><p>Mason left Tyler with his drawings. He had more important things in mind.<p>

Number one he had to find out more about the requirements of the claiming ritual. He had no idea how much time Tyler still had before the separation from his mate would drive him crazy – not to mention that he didn't know what exactly the withdrawal symptoms would be. From what he knew of the claiming, it was clear that when not performed correctly according to a ritual the mated couple would be cursed and he didn't want that. He seriously hoped that Tyler wouldn't be the bottom in this relationship, if Jeremy was the one to get fucked that was fine, he was human and therefore assigned to be submissive (albeit Mason would still have preferred a female), but a werewolf taking it up the ass was a shame for all werewolves. In a sense Tyler had been lucky his mate didn't turn out to be another male werewolf. Calling that derogatory for the Involved would be an understatement. It didn't matter what gender a male werewolf fucked as long as he was the one who fucked. Being a werewolf and be fucked was unforgivable in their society and practically the worst insult there is.

Mason leaned against a column at the front door and took a deep breath, going though his mind on whom to call. The ones he knew off to be best informed on the subject of warrior society where Stevie and Brady. But Brady was basically a psychopath, sure loyal to his people with every fiber of his being, but cross him in anyway and you would regret it. The wazoo would probably just come here and demand to witness the claiming himself. Rumors had it that his elder brother had claimed his mate together with others, all of them fucking their mates into submission in one big mass claiming. Sure Mason understood the instinct to dominate, and damn it felt good to fuck your partner into total submission, making him your private source for pleasure and being totally in control. That was natural; they were part wolf and part warrior, so it was only right that they always took the dominant role no matter what. But you didn't have to do the claiming in front of several people. That just seemed undignified to Mason and rumor had it Brady would do it the same as his brother if given the chance.

Ok, so Brady was out of question. The next on the line was Stevie. He was far from being the aggressive psychopath Brady was, and he was so geeky he seemed to know everything thing there was to know. In addition the guy was far less muscular than Mason, a bad fighter – someone who would only catch a really dumb vampire. Seriously Mason had seen Stevie just letting him fall from a roof and attacking a vampire only with a vervain filled syringe. It must have been a really young and inexperienced vampire; either that or he was an idiot. Seriously, any human of good physical training and half-way decent fighting skill could have avoided Stevie coming at him. Hell, the vampire had even seen Stevie as he landed, not only that he couldn't even shake Stevie off. Mason had seen vampires ripping their victims to shreds but that one was supposedly over a hundred, but he was so weak.

Mason shook his head, he had to stay focused. Ok, so Stevie wouldn't be a problem when it came to physical danger. He had the necessary knowledge and he… Mason's eyes went round when realization hit him. No way would he be having Stevie anywhere near Tyler, Stevie wasn't simply into hardcore BDSM, damn Mason had taken one look on the files on Stevie's laptop to see that it was full with torture porn. Thinking about it Mason hoped that Stevie either doesn't have a mate or would never find one in case he had one. No, that wouldn't happen, hopefully he didn't have one.

Mason sighed, so that would leave him with only one viable option and that was Jules. He could take her if necessary and she had moderate knowledge when compared to the other two but she had the tactical sensibility of a walnut, she was someone that goes into town and practically thrashes through the front door even if secrecy was necessary – her behavior sometimes bordered on suicidal. Furthermore she had a sort of recruitment complex, bringing as many werewolves to the fold as possible, talking about loyalty and community no matter how far from the reality her own 'truths' were. In addition she was the sort of person that tended to lay the blame to another and not her. Especially anyone whom she had classified as the enemy in her mind would always be the one to blame and she was Innocence in person. Thankfully there didn't seem to be any vampires in this town.

Mason groaned because he didn't like that at all, but he had no better option. He decided quickly that he would only contact her by phone, lying about the situation and claiming that he had found his mate.

That was problem number one. Problem number two was: how did Katherine Petrova knew that Tyler was a werewolf? She wasn't one herself and definitely not a vampire, so she was human, but what sort of human? Despite knowing what Tyler and Mason were she had barely shown signs of fear.

Tyler was too occupied with himself to notice, much less care about it, but Mason was not.

* * *

><p>At the shop, Tyler had drawn carefully each symbol on a separate sticky note for the man to see as Tyler explained he wanted all 6 made all the way around but making sure to leave a good amount of space between each of them.<p>

"Just curious, but why these symbols? You studying to be a historian or something," the guy asked.

"It's for a friend."

The guy seemed to wait for him to continue but when he saw he wasn't, he nodded. "Cool with me."

Tyler sighed, a bit annoyed. "So how long will it take for you to get it finished? And I'm warning you, I'm paying you to do a perfect job on it."

The guy raised his hands in defense. "Hey, man, you can trust me! This business has been going on for twenty years! As for the time, I'm giving it about three weeks. Usually something like this can be done less but there's one customer ahead of you and, wow, did she make a complicated order!"

Tyler nodded, satisfied, giving the counter a pat. "Have a nice day."

When he came back home, he got a forced out 'good job' from his father and a hug and kiss from his mother, who told him she knew he would keep his word. Mason had covered up the hole with moving the huge picture of their wedding from the living room. Tyler's mother noticed and seemed convinced enough with Mason's answer that it looked better there than in the living room. Tyler asked his father about the meeting and he told him they were able to make the Halloween themed charity event a priority Saturday, October 29th. The charity money would be for St. Jude's Hospital to help find the cure for cancer. Tyler's maternal grandmother had died from breast cancer when he was only seven and ever since then, his mother had been determined to fight to save lives.

"There's going to be food, music, dancing, contests, prizes, and all that fun stuff! Oh god I can already see it happening," his mother commented, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Tyler couldn't help but smile; he loved seeing his mother happy. She was totally in her element.

"Richard promised me he's going to dress up that day," she smirked, glancing at her husband.

His old man groaned lowly, glancing at his wife in a 'you had to bring that up again' face.

"I was thinking of Gary Oldman in one of his best film," she said, smirking. She turned to him. "What do you think, honey?"

He cleared his throat, trying not to laugh at the image of his father wearing a movie outfit. "Whatever it is I am sure it will be great mom." He was curious which costume it would be. Would it be the one from the Fifth Element? From Lost in Space or Dracula? Maybe his father would be Commissioner Gordon from The Dark Knight, or Sirius Black from the Harry Potter movies. Tyler envisioned his old man in any of those outfits. Maybe even as the priest from Red Riding Hood, which would be pure irony.

Mason was smiling in amusement as he started at his brother.

"What are you going to wear," Richard shot back, his face turning red from embarrassment.

His mother's happy mood was not even slightly diminished by his father's attitude.

"Juliette Schoppmann from the music video 'Calling you', of course. My god can her outfit be any more spectacular?"

His father rolled his eyes and excused himself before going to his office. His mother was obsessed with Juliette Schoppmann. The young woman was her idol – despite the fact that she was neither worldwide famous or that his mother didn't speak one word German - and sometimes Tyler would hear her mother sing in the shower or as she got ready in her room, singing to the woman's songs. Out of curiosity Tyler had seen some of the woman's videos on youtube and he had to admit that her voice was impressing, even more so than the air split she made as part of the show for her cover of Big Spender.

"How about you, Ty," she asked suddenly.

Tyler's eyes widened, not expecting the question. He hadn't thought about Halloween at all, much less what costume he was going to wear. "I'm…not sure. I've been so focused on school I completely forgot about it."

His mother smiled and came to give him another kiss on the cheek. "Well, you have time to think," She paused and sighed. "Is PG-13 too much to ask?"

Tyler smirked down at her. "I think so."

She sighed again, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it. "Just as long as you have pants on, honey."

Tyler pretended to hesitate, earning a firm look from his mother. He chuckled.

"I'm kidding. I'll be wearing bottoms."

"Counting on it," she said and turned to Mason. Tyler looked at his uncle too who was staring back at them. He kept looking between the two of them, confused; then he realized what they were waiting for.

"Oh, no-I don't do that kind of stuff. I'm fine in my normal clothes," he said quickly.

Carol rolled her eyes, as if expecting this. "Don't take this the wrong way, brother-in-law, but…," she trailed off, motioning to his body up and down with her hand, palm up.

Mason smirked at her motion. "Thank you, Carol, but my life is haunting enough as it is." She had no idea how true that was.

"Mmhm. Either way, you're dressing up. If you can't decide soon, I'll choose for you, end of discussion on that."

Tyler gave Mason a warning. "Better take her seriously. The last time I didn't want to dress up for Halloween two years ago, she wasn't going to let me out of my room if I didn't dress up as Fred Flintstone. The kids at school couldn't stop making 'Wilma' shouts behind my back for the whole year."

"In that case I better go start Googling."

* * *

><p>Note: Don't forget to review! Thank you!<p> 


	29. Symptoms

First Time for Everything

Chapter 29

Note: Thank you to my beta for taking time from his day to brighten up our day even more and to you guys for continuing to be awesome! :D That love interest, Sofie or whatever, that will be another of Tyler's love interest has nothing on Jeremy! ;D But I am hoping that they'll at least be saying a freaking hello or something to each other! I'll be having a heart attack if they don't O_o

Ps. I'm starting college this Thursday so I don't know how much free time I'll be having after that. So this will be the last update for now but I'll do my best to keep working on the next chapter but I can't promise another update before Thursday. I don't wanna rush it or anything so I'm crossing my fingers for continuing to have some story typing time.

Ks. Thank you very much for your review! :D

* * *

><p>Watching television, nothing to do except watching television; Tyler was bored. He could hear Mason talking upstairs with someone on the phone; probably Jenna. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous that Mason was able to talk to someone he wanted, even though she was supposedly only a close friend. This reminded Tyler of Matt and he felt guilt eating up his stomach. After he had gotten his new phone, he had given the new number to Matt but they haven't really texted, especially since the party. Tyler remembered on Saturday that the blonde had told him he wanted to talk to him. Tyler's stomach then growled loudly. It was strange because they had eaten dinner only about a few hours ago and Tyler had eaten so much food, his mother had to cut him off so they could get enough food for themselves. His dad had even washed the dishes himself afterwards.<p>

The hunger was too much for Tyler to ignore. Stabs of pain shot up from his belly and he winced, making him going to the kitchen and searching through the cabinets for anything to get down fast. Canned food, boxes of easy microwave meals, and small bottles of herbs and spices covered the cupboards. Tyler pulled down some boxes of microwaveable food and checked them out; teriyaki chicken with white rice and vegetables. Not bad but didn't grab his attention. He looked through the rest but nothing really seemed appetizing. Maybe he needed something heavy in protein like goulash or steaks. Tyler shut the cupboards and looked through the ridge, searching for it. There wasn't. Tyler's gaze then landed on the two packages of sliced ham. He checked to make sure no one was looking and grabbed them, opening them and eating one by one like if he hadn't eaten in days. The pain in his stomach eased the more he ate and by the last slice he ate, they were almost completely gone.

The familiar sound of an engine park in front of his house caught his attention. Tyler turned his head in the direction of the front door. It took him a few seconds to realize it was Matt. He swore under his breath, guessing the motivation of his visit. _He wants to talk now? _Tyler was tempted to go out the back door and leave but he knew he wouldn't be able to avoid him forever anyway. _Let's get it over with then._ Matt knocked on the door moments later and Tyler closed the refrigerator door and took in a deep breath and let it out, getting himself together.

"I'll get it," he called and walked over to the door to open it. Matt saw him and gave him a small, awkward, smile as his greeting. Neither of them said anything for a moment. Matt had a semi-serious face on, telling Tyler he wasn't sure how to feel about Saturday night. _Obviously he's as happy as a clam ever since Jeremy told him what he wanted to hear. _

"Come in," Tyler said, stepping to the side. Matt shook his head and motioned for him to come outside instead.

"Who's at the door, honey?" his mom asked from her room.

"It's Matt, mom! We're going outside for bit!"

Matt moved out of the way and Tyler stepped out onto the porch. Matt walked over and leaned against the roman column, staring at him straight in the eye.

"About Saturday…all I want to know is what happened. Jeremy told me his side of the story now I want to know yours," Matt began.

Tyler narrowed his eyes. "What was his story?"

"Tell me yours first."

Tyler guessed, by Matt's lack of anger, that Jeremy had told him another lie. Tyler would feel bad about it later, but he knew he had to do the same…for now.

Tyler shrugged. "You know people can't mind their own business." Best he could do, after all he had no idea what Jeremy had sold Matt.

Matt stared at him, searching his face through the half-moon's dim light.

"So that's why you were in his personal space?"

"Pretty much."

Matt looked like he wanted to ask more but then sighed. "Look, I just don't want Jeremy getting hurt. Not just from you, but from anyone. I don't care what you guys were talking about but if you can't say something in front other people, then just don't talk about it at all."

"Fine, whatever."

Another moment of silence came in between them. Matt looked behind him at the door.

"He told me you were drunk and talking about me but that you didn't hurt him. Is that true?"

"Yes." That wasn't a lie, except for the 'being-drunk' part.

Matt nodded and sighed, leaning off the column, shoving his hands into his jeans pocket. "Goodnight, Ty."

Tyler was surprised Matt would use his old nickname again, and this soon. That put him at ease.

"Goodnight, man."

Matt went down the stairs and stopped. Tyler waited.

"I'm sorry things have been weird between us but you know you'll always be my best, right?"

Tyler couldn't help but joke, "That sounded a little wrong but I know. Same thing back at you."

Matt turned enough so he can throw a smirk at him before turning back and continuing to make his way back to his car. Tyler watched as Matt arrived at his car and drove off a moment later before he went back into the house.

_Damn fate._

* * *

><p>Mason sat down at his desk as the phone dialed Jules number. <em>You just have to love speed-dial<em>. Calling her still sounded like a bad idea to him, but it's not like he had other options to choose from. She wasn't exactly the nicest person in the world but among those he knew off with actual knowledge about their society she was the only one who was not a psycho. He just hoped she wouldn't just hang up on him for some reason.

Jules picked up on the third ring. "Mason?"

"One and only."

"I'm surprised…it's been awhile. How've you been?"

Jules was indeed surprised, judging by the tone of her voice. It's been almost two years now since he's seen her and the others. It wasn't that he didn't want to be with other werewolves, not when given the choice that was. Deep inside, Mason just preferred to be alone sometimes. He probably would have left the mansion a while ago but his nephew needed him. He wanted to go with the peace of mind that Tyler would be okay on his own before the adult world came down on him.

"Well enough. Listen, I need your expertise on something."

"Oh? What on?" she asked, sounding interested.

"Mate separation symptoms."

There was a long pause on the other side. He was about to continue when he heard a loud, angry voice in the background. Mason recognized Brady's voice anytime. _Shit, I hope she won't call him right away, that ass is the last one I need right now._

"I'll be right there! Can you hold on? He heard her yell back. She sighed in annoyance, and focused back on him. "Sorry about that. You know Brady doesn't like to wait for anything. Anyway, have you…found your mate, Mason? Is that why you're asking me this?"

"No, I wish I had. I'm asking this for someone else. So do you know the symptoms?"

There was a small pause this time.

"You want to know everything?"

"Please."

Mason heard Jules click her tongue in thought. He guessed that he wouldn't like the things to come.

"Ok, the whole subject is not an exact science but as far as lore tells your mate is in every sense your other half, what humans would call a soul-mate or that part of you that was always missing. Of course not in the way that both are no longer individuals or cannot chose on their own. Anyway as far as I know there is some philosophical debate about it, I guess since the stuff can rarely be documented from start to end so all I have are personal reports of willing participants. Like always a complex issue but I'll try to make it as short and clear as possible. I assume that it's safe to say that your mate is that one big chance you have and since this is so important there is this intense longing. This urge to… well you probably know what sort of urge that is," she trailed off, Mason guessed that she was a bit more prude when one would expect from a woman who had to get naked every month on a set date and possibly in front of others. Some sort of compensation maybe.

Mason chuckled. "I have a pretty good guess."

"When the claiming has been completed separation is not a big deal, not something that should be done permanently but also nothing life-threatening. However not many talk about separation afterwards so my guess is that you are asking about pre-claiming separation when both at least on a subconscious level have recognized each other as what they are. Here it can get nasty." She hesitated before she continued in a serious voice. "When they are separated, after they recognized each other, it is as though a hole was ripped into their souls and that hole will get bigger with time. If the separation is made my force – either due to an outside one or own doing - the longer they are away from each other the stronger and more severe the symptoms get."

She was so not into the blond-stereotype. "What if the mate doesn't accept the werewolf?"

"It's not usual to do so, especially if they don't know about us, however if they do, fear and denial are to be expected simply due to being unfamiliar with us and our ways but they always submit after a while. If they stay away from each other for too long, going back to the symptom topic at hand, consequences will come upon them both. Each side will have some different and some same symptoms albeit with individual differences due to character. Both will definitely feel some sort of emptiness over time, a loss of sorts; that is the most common description for this feeling I am aware off. In addition since the claiming hasn't been done and possibly no connection exists beyond the physical attraction they will both want to be with each other, this usually manifests itself in erotic dreams. A pair I once knew stated that they had found out later that the dreams they had experienced were extremely similar. As far as I know the mating bond doesn't provide any telepathic or even empathic bond but like I said, not an exact science. Well, so far to what they will both experience, now to the differences. The warrior will usually have physical symptoms, the most common I know of are hyperactivity and new and possibly strange eating habits, for a human that is. Boosts in physical activity are especially common in people who already had a physically challenging live; firemen, bounty hunters, athletes, boxers, acrobats and the like. With me so far?"

"Yes." Damn Tyler just had to be a sports guy, but so far it didn't sound too bad, nothing Mason couldn't handle.

"For the human mate it's pretty much opposite. The person will go into depression which includes lack of interest in doing daily activities such as socializing, lack of appetite, unnecessary emotional and mental thoughts and feelings and sometimes even consider self-harm or suicide. I did some research and the symptoms I heard and observed myself are very similar to that of major depressive disorder. But don't worry it will not start with a severe case; the symptoms will be very mild in both cases at first and could easily be mistaken for something harmless at the time Not even an expert would be able to tell for sure in those early stages. Wouldn't all my sources claim so similar symptoms I guess I wouldn't know about it or only categorize it under questionable evidence."

Mason let out a long breath through his nose, knowing he had to ask the scariest question of all. "How long before they both start showing?"

"I don't have an exact amount of time. I guess it depends on each pair but if you truly want my opinion, I'd say a few weeks or less, with or without denial from either side. Of course there is some debate about the denial stuff, therefore I said weeks to be absolutely sure and not take any risks. You see supposedly if both are in full denial it only takes weeks, however if they actually know it but at least one of them is not acknowledging or not acting upon his urges than it could easily be months before any severe symptoms are showing. It all depends on how willing the mates are and on how much they admit to themselves."

Mason closed his eyes. "I hope I'm not out of time then."

"Well I know of one case were it supposedly took a year for the claiming to be performed in that case the mates went back and forth with the whole stuff, one of them always bailing out of it at the last second. The important part is that at least a physical nearness can slow or even temporarily reverse the symptoms. However the claiming is the only definitive cure."

"Well one of them seems to be eager but the other one is rather reluctant," he sighed. "Look the involved are … please don't tell… you know."

There was silence for some time before Jules started again. "I won't tell Brady until after it is done, I promise. The mates are still teens aren't they?" Her voice was full of concern.

"Yes," Mason guessed that it was safe to say, Jules had a soft spot for younger werewolves.

"How old was the warrior in question when his blood awakened?"

Mason sighed. "Fourteen or fifteen; he will soon be turning eighteen."

It was still again but Mason's ears could make out some sort of crunching sounds and guessed that Jules hat bitten into her knuckles. "I will keep quiet Mason. But I don't envy you, the whole mess is confusing enough but at that age …," she didn't say more. Probably out of words.

Mason heard the front door open and close and Tyler's footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Good luck, Mason," Jules said.

"We'll need it."

Mason hung up and walked out of his room to see Tyler about to head for his room. Tyler paused when he saw him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Mason realized there must have been something on his face.

"I need to tell you something. In your room if you want," he replied, glancing over at Carol's closed door.

Tyler nodded and Mason followed his nephew into his room. He motioned for him to sit down.

"It's fine. I'll make this as quickly as possible since you have school tomorrow."

Mason had to lie. If he told Tyler exactly what Jules told him, something told him there was a 90% possibility Tyler would do something stupid.

Tyler just nodded, waiting for him to continue when he sat down on the edge of his bed, taking off his shoes.

"I spoke with a friend of mine who is also a werewolf. I asked her what would happen if there is any prolonged separation between a werewolf and its mate."

Tyler's eyes widened. "And?"

"She told me she wasn't sure about what would happen to the mate but the werewolf will end up going into hyper activity like exercising more than usual and having strange cravings he didn't have before."

Tyler now frowned down at the floor, thinking about something. He licked his lips. "Cravings such as…?"

"Raw meat or eating things you normally wouldn't. Almost like if you were pregnant or something."

Tyler slowly raised his eyes to him. "Guess I have some bad news for ya."

* * *

><p>Jeremy winced when Katherine knocked on his door for the fourth time.<p>

"Jeremy, Matt is downstairs! Stefan is here too so I have to go now!"

Jeremy's eyes opened. "I'll be right down."

"School starts in twenty minutes!"

Jeremy ignored her, sitting up slowly. His throat felt dry and his head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. He guessed he was coming down with something. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and unplugged it from the charging cord. He called Matt.

"Hey, did you over sleep?" he asked, chuckling.

"Yeah. Sorry. I think I'm going to get sick," he mumbled.

"Do you want me to come up?"

"No, no. It's fine. I'll be down in a moment."

He hung up without waiting for his boyfriend's response. He skipped the shower and just added a little more cologne than usual to his clothes. He brushed his teeth and combed hair before went downstairs to the kitchen for a cup of coffee, adjusting his backpack strap on his shoulder.

"Over slept?" Jenna asked; newspaper in hand.

"Yeah."

"Fresh coffee in the pot. Help yourself," she said, watching him as he grabbed a cup and blew on it to cool the liquid. He took a sip to test it out before swallowing down the cup.

"You okay? You look pale this morning," Jenna said concerned.

"I'm fine."

He poured himself another cup before drowning that one too. Jenna's coffee-making skills had seen better days. He placed the dish in the sink. "See you later, Aunt Jenna."

"Bye! Have a good day! Be careful!"

Matt was outside and turned to him when he came jogging up to the guy.

"You okay?" the blonde asked, looking him over.

"Fine. I'll take something when I come back home."

Jeremy opened the door and got into the car, placing his bag onto his lap and leaning over to kiss him.

"You sure you don't want to stay home today?"

"Some fresh air will do me good. It could even be nothing."

Matt started at him, searching his face. Jeremy looked away.

"We don't want to be late," he said.

Matt nodded and turned on the engine, driving towards school, keeping an eye on him out of the corner of his eye.

Jeremy was praying to not run into Tyler today. He wouldn't know what to say about Saturday, about how he didn't stop him from kissing him, about anything at all, really. But he had to worry about himself right now. His head was throbbing when he sat down at his desk first period.

"Jer, you alright?" Vicky asked him. Jeremy felt a little annoyed at this; they had to ask the same question.

"I'm fine," he replied calmly.

"You getting sick?" she asked and then lowered her voice, leaning close to him. "I brought some Tylenol with me if you want one…or two. You look like you really need it. I have some water with me."

Vicky rumbled through her bag and nudged Jeremy's elbow. He lowered his hand and took the two pills into his hand. He then took a half empty bottle of water from her and made sure no one was looking before he quickly popped the pills into his mouth and took a long swallow of water, closing his eyes as the moisture from the water soothed his throat somewhat. He placed the cap back on and titled his head to the side.

"Want my germs?" he teased, smirking a little.

Vicky giggled. "I'll pass. You can have it. I can buy another one."

"Thanks."

As time went by at school, Jeremy's throat went back to feeling dry. He bought water himself from the vending machine and drank down half the bottle without stopping for air before he went to his second class. By the end of third period, he went to the nurse, his head almost killing him. He almost had to squint when he got into her office from the artificial lighting.

"Can I help you…?" The nurse stopped when she saw his face.

"My head. I can't take it anymore," he gritted out.

She immediately got up and led him carefully to a long, dark green bed. She laid him down.

"I'll bring you some Aspirin, okay? Did you want to go home?" she asked as she walked over to a cabinet. He closed his eyes, the light seeming to hurt his eyesight.

"I took some Tylenol before I got to school. And I can wait a bit to see if it calms down. Maybe I just need to rest."

Jeremy heard her close the cabinet drawer and walk back over to him and jerked when he placed a wet cloth on his forehead.

"I'm going to take your temperature," she said before placing a thermometer into his ear.

Few seconds later, it beeped and she pulled it out. She made a noise in her throat and he opened his eyes to squint up at her.

"It's normal so it's good news. I think you might be getting a cold but then you might also be in the middle of a small migraine."

"I've never had a migraine before so it might be the cold," he said, closing his eyes again. His headache had eased up a little and he breathed in through his nose to calm down.

"You could be a new patient for them so if this keeps happening, I suggest you go see a doctor. Now rest and if it worsens, tell me and I'll call you an ambulance, okay?"

Jeremy made a noise in his throat in agreement. He heard her walk away and sit back at her desk. Meanwhile he continued to breathe in and out through his nose, hoping the headache would go away soon.

* * *

><p>Tyler couldn't stop thinking about what Mason said from that night. He didn't feel hyper…yet, but it also didn't sound like something horrible. The strange cravings could be worse; he could have gone for fresh human meat instead of cold meat from the fridge. What a story the police would have on that. As he continued to think, he couldn't help but feel his uncle had also lied about something to him. Either that or he was holding something back. Something Tyler didn't want to know and wanted to know at the same time. Could he actually know what will happen to Jeremy?<p>

When third period finished, he packed up his things and went to lunch. He had to go see if his mate was alright. He got his food and picked at the mashed potatoes and vegetables once in a while as he waited to find Jeremy. He saw Matt also waiting for him at the door. At a certain point his best friend decided to just get his food. Matt spotted him and walked over to where he was sitting alone. He sat across from him and gave him a small smile in greeting. He turned around and glanced at the entrance.

"Have you seen Jeremy at all today?" Matt asked, turning back around.

"No I haven't. Why? Is he okay?" he asked as calmly as possible.

"He told me he might be getting sick this morning. We separated for class and he hasn't arrived for lunch, as you can see. I'm starting to get worried," he paused and his eyes widened. "Think he went to the nurse?"

Tyler shrugged. "Maybe."

Matt half finished his food before telling him goodbye and throwing away the rest of his food, walking quickly out of the cafeteria.

Tyler's heart was beating rapidly against his chest. Jeremy was sick? Sick with the flu or…was something else happening to him? Tyler's hands clenched into fists on the table as he glared down at his barley eaten food. He wanted to go see him but he couldn't with Matt there now.

He looked up when someone sat across from him again. This time, it was Steven, the last person he ever wanted to see. Tyler turned his glare on him.

"What do you want now?" he growled lowly.

"Wanted to see what was going on. You looked upset when Matt left and I came to see if I can help in any way."

If Tyler didn't know him any better, the guy would sound and look incredibly sincere. His heart, in this case, told him the complete opposite.

"Stay away from me and Jeremy or else," he warned and stood up, not caring if he dumped the tray along with the food in the trash. He heard Steven following behind him and they stepped into the hall.

"Oh come, don't be like that! I just wanted to say I hope Jeremy feels better!"

Tyler stopped and turned. Steven had a smirk on his face. _How in the world did he know Jeremy was sick? _Tyler hadn't heard anybody talk about him. He shot Steven a quick middle finger before he walked out and headed in the direction of the nurse's office. _He had to have been close by. Even though I didn't sense him…it must be the only answer. _

Tyler arrived and leaned against the wall as he listened to what was going on inside. He blocked out all other noises and concentrated.

"Are you sure you don't want me to bring you anything?" Matt asked, worry sounding in his voice.

"I'm sure. I'm not hungry right now."

"Did you eat breakfast this morning?" the nurse asked; the beeping of a machine sounding.

"No just some coffee."

"You have to eat, sweetie. It's not healthy to go without food so long. This might be a reason why your headache is still there."

"But I told you, it feels better now and I really don't want to miss my math test today."

"Forget the math test, Jer. You can make it up when you feel better," Matt protested.

"It's my choice so I want to stay in school. I'll eat when I get home, I promise."

There was a short pause.

"Alright, if that's what you want, but don't come to school tomorrow if you're feeling worse," the nurse ordered.

"I'll tie him if I have to," Matt said seriously.

Jeremy didn't reply.

Tyler stayed leaning against the wall, listening until the bell rung a couple of minutes later. He felt angry; he wanted to be in the one in there, comforting Jeremy, his mate, like he should be. If Jeremy was afraid of him, he didn't know exactly what to do in order to get that to stop happening. But he had to try something or both of them might be end up dead.

* * *

><p>So it's starting to happen. Elijah told him it would. Steven couldn't help but feel disappointed that he wasn't the one causing the pain to Lockwood at the moment but he kept telling himself to be patient. His agenda was already formed and all he had to do was go step by step. Well that and he needed a better camera, something that could film and take pictures from afar. He was sure it was only a matter of time; those two losers can't stay apart forever now.<p>

* * *

><p>Katherine was sitting outside with Stefan, cuddling with him against a tree.<p>

"Don't be so nervous, Stef, you guys always win the games," she said reassuringly. Katherine knew he was nervous because now he had a girlfriend who would be watching him play. Stefan wanted to impress her. Even if their team did lose, it wasn't like she would break up with him over something ridiculous as a lost game.

Stefan didn't reply, making her smirk. Stefan took a bite of his last French fry and wiped any grease off his hands and mouth with napkin. Katherine suddenly remembered something and she leaned away so she could look down at his exposed right arm. She examined the small part of the rose tattoo that was visible under the sleeve, wondering what the story was behind this particular picture. Stefan followed her gaze and blushed hard, his cheeks going totally red. She raised an eyebrow at his reaction. He looked down at the grass, a small embarrassed smile on his face.

"So…?" she asked.

He sighed and looked at her, the smile still on his face. "I don't want to lie to you but I hope you won't get mad or anything when I tell you why I got it."

Katherine smirked. "You didn't just get drunk on your sweet sixteenth and decided to give your parents a lifetime of nightmares?"

Stefan's chuckled, stretching his head. "I was actually 14 when I got it."

Her mouth dropped open. "14? As in barely a teenager? How did you get the person to even…?"

"Not wanting to brag, but I'm pretty good at doing my parent's signature."

Katherine giggled, running a hand through her hair. "Wow, I come to know that my boyfriend is actually a bad boy."

Stefan smirked, taking a drink from his coke. "No, the reason for it was something else entirely. When I was in eighth grade, we had this teacher named Rose. She was my first crush and I thought she was the most amazing thing in the world—oh come on don't give me that look! I was 14!"

Katherine was half joking around but she couldn't help but feel jealous at this women for making Stefan feel this way about her. "Go on."

He sighed. "So I decided to get a tattoo with a rose on it for her."

"Did you show her?"

"I told her first about how I felt about her. She was maybe twenty five at the time and she told me that I was so cute in telling her that but she was too old for me and she had a boyfriend."

"Uh oh. Did you still show her?"

"I did. She was so shocked but also angry because she thought my parents had agreed to let me get a tattoo in the first place. I begged her not to tell them because they didn't know anything about it and that I faked their signatures but she called them anyway and my parents were so pissed at me they grounded me for quite some time."

"Does she still teach at your middle school?"

"No idea. Maybe she moved or something since I haven't seen her since then but I would have been so embarrassed to see her again."

Katherine smiled, amused, at the story but at the same time she sympathized with him. "Must have been hard for you to know she didn't return your feelings."

He shrugged. "I was just a kid. I didn't know any better."

Katherine stayed quiet, still thinking about his story. She knew what it was like to be rejected. Her mother hadn't bothered to call even once a month while she was here and she hasn't seen her father since she was seven. He didn't even kiss her goodbye as he got into his car and drove off. One of their maids, Jessica, had to hold her back as she tried to go to him, crying for her daddy to come back…but he never did and never would. Stefan must have sensed her mood change because he suddenly grabbed her gently and kissed her, holding her to his chest. She was surprised at his movement then she relaxed, enjoying being in his arms.

"But you are so much better than she can ever be," she heard him whisper, oblivious to the real thoughts in her head.

Her heart picked up, all thoughts about her parents gone from her mind at Stefan's confession. She held him tight and leaned up to kiss him. After a moment they broke apart for breath.

"I love you so much, Stefan."

He smiled. "Love you more."

* * *

><p>Matt accompanied Jeremy to his locker where Katherine would later meet up to help him carry his books. Jeremy had texted her about what was going on and she immediately told him she would be there after school to help him.<p>

"Thank you," he told Matt who helped him with his bag. He felt weird being helped so much but every muscle seemed to ache and he just wanted to go home.

"Anytime."

Jeremy leaned over and kissed him with as much passion as he could, ignoring that it all felt wrong to him.

"I'll drive by to check on you after practice," Matt panted when they broke away.

Jeremy did the same, hoping Matt wouldn't notice that it was fake. As aching as his body was, Jeremy didn't feel exhausted, just aching. He stared into Matt's face. He looked tired with dark circled under his red tinted eyes. Jeremy smiled at him but shook his head.

"You should go home and sleep. You need it with so much stuff you're doing every week."

"But I don't mind…"

"I know you don't, but I'll be fine. I don't want you to get sick too so promise me you'll go and sleep and I'll promise you I'll go home and eat something before I go to bed."

"So you're not coming tomorrow?"

Jeremy snorted softly. "Better than getting tied up."

Matt smiled at that. He glanced over at the nearly empty hall and sighed before focusing back on him. "Fine, I promise if you promise."

Jeremy laid a hand over his heart and his other one with his palm showing in a teasing image of honor. Matt rolled his eyes at this, still smiling and leaned over to kiss him again. Jeremy wrapped his arms around Matt's neck to bring him closer as they kissed. Suddenly they heard someone clearing their throat.

Both boys broke away and glanced over to see Katherine smirking.

They backed away from each other and Matt turned red. He turned to Jeremy.

"I have to go to practice so…I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Jeremy nodded. Matt placed down his backpack and walked away, giving Katherine a shy smile while she waved at him in a teasing way. She then focused on him.

"So I guess you're feeling better then?" she asked, smirking.

He gave her a look. "Shut up."

She giggled as he turned his combination to his locker and swung it open.

"Which ones do I put back?" Katherine asked, stepping over to him and opening his backpack.

"No, it's fine. I can do it…"

She shot him a look this time. He rolled his eyes and raised his hands in defeat.

"The English book and the Chemistry, please."

"Okay and do you need anything from here?"

"Just the Algebra 2."

She placed the book inside and closed the locker door.

"I'll carry it, it's no bother," she said, shrugging.

"You sure?"

"Trust me, let's just go before my arm falls off. How on earth can you carry this?"

Jeremy just rolled his eyes and began heading out the door to the parking lot when a voice called out to him from behind.

"Jeremy?"

_Oh god, it's him! _His eyes widened. Katherine looked back at Tyler before looking back at him in question.

"Could I talk to you? Please? I know you're not feeling well today but it won't take long."

Jeremy wasn't sure what surprised him the most. How Tyler knew he was sick or…that he was there now after Jeremy had suddenly felt better than he had all day. It was like someone reached in and took all his sore muscles and his headache out of his body, he guessed that the meds had finally started to work.

"I…"

"Tyler, now is not a good time," Katherine said.

Jeremy held up a hand at her and slowly turned around to look at Tyler fully. Tyler waited for his response. Jeremy finally nodded after a moment.

"Wait for me at the car, please," he told her.

"Sure?" The hesitance was clear in her voice.

He just nodded and headed over to where Tyler was standing. Jeremy waited until Katherine went out the door before he spoke.

"Shouldn't you be at practice?" he asked.

Tyler shrugged. "I don't care if I'm late today."

He sighed. "Did you want to talk about Saturday?"

"That and other things."

Jeremy went over to lean against a locker, digging his hands into his pockets. Tyler moved a little closer to Jeremy and the younger teen eyed him warily, nervous he might try to kiss him again.

_Nervous cause you might not stop him again? _A dark voice mocked him in his head.

Tyler looked unsure of where to begin but his eyes never left his. "You confirmed to me that you do feel something for me; you didn't stop me from kissing you. I'm not going to pressure you into anything you don't want but I want you to know that I'm not going to hurt you," he paused and he frowned. "But there's one thing I don't like that you're doing."

His heart beat picked up. "Oh?"

"You're lying to Matt. You told him that you loved him when we both know it's not true." Tyler's stare and words were full of accusation. "Even Katherine knows it."

Jeremy's face heated; embarrassed and angry.

"Katherine told you about that?" he demanded, leaning off the locker.

Tyler didn't say anything.

"Has she been talking to you about me?" Jeremy asked, glaring at him.

Tyler hesitated but then nodded.

"It's none of your or her business who I go out with or what I do" he gritted out through clenched teeth.

"I don't want for Matt to get hurt this way," Tyler said firmly.

Jeremy laughed, bitterly. "Oh please. You want to take me away from him. Where's your conscience in that, huh?"

He turned and began to walk away.

"You know I'm a werewolf, don't you?"

Jeremy stopped, mouth dropping open in shock at his confession. A long pause came between them after that and suddenly he heard Tyler walking over to him. Tyler walked past him and came to a halt right in front of him, looking straight into his eyes.

He looked away from the accusing face and jerked when Tyler reached over to pull his face back towards him.

Jeremy swallowed. "Why can't you just understand that I just don't want to be with you?"

He saw pain cross the other's eyes and drop his hand. When he recovered and spoke softly. "Don't be afraid of me, Jer. You have to trust me when I say I would never hurt you again."

"I can't and you can't just say that, Tyler. You're not human. You act on impulse and I don't know if I could live being around a person like that all the time." He didn't dare to speak his suspicion on the nature of these impulses out loud. If Tyler heard about what a monster he was, he might throw a fit.

"How do you know you're not wrong?"

He was about to respond when Tyler suddenly reached out and grabbed onto both of his hands gently. He looked down at their hands and then at him with wide eyes.

"I can look at you in the eye when I'm telling you all this, Jeremy. Even when I tell you that I. Will. Never. Hurt. You. Again. There are so many things you don't know about me. You can't just judge me like that."

The young teen stared wide eyed into those beautiful dark eyes. He didn't know what to say anymore. Part of him believed him but part of him didn't. How could he believe him? There was a fully fledged monster lurking behind those beautiful orbs.

Jeremy was too overwhelmed by his thoughts he didn't realize his heart was starting to pound loudly again.

"Jeremy? You okay?" Katherine asked from the doors.

Popping back into reality he swallowed and lowered his gaze. He squeezed the older boy's hand lightly in apology before he walked past him and out of the school without another word.

He didn't stop until he reached Katherine's car and got inside, closing the door. As soon as he got inside the painful throbbing in his head suddenly came back, albeit only as a shallow image of what it had been before, the meds didn't have seemed as good as he had thought. He winced and pressed his fingers against both sides of his head.

"What's wrong? Is it hurting more?" Katherine asked, putting an alarmed hand on his shoulder. He shook her hand off.

"Just drive," he mumbled, rubbing small circles to try to ease the pain. Katherine didn't move for a moment before she sighed heavily and turned on the engine, backed out of the parking lot, and heading home.

He had wanted to get out of there. Get away from Tyler but why did he suddenly feel so alone? Why did he have to affect him so much? This could only be magic, seriously why should some dumb jock be Mr. Right for Jeremy?

When they arrived, he just went up the stairs, not even bothering to greet Jenna back as she asked about their day. _Sorry, Matt, I know I promised._ When he closed and locked the door to his bedroom door, he heard talking downstairs but couldn't care less right now. He just wanted to sleep. He went over to the window and closed the curtains so there was barely any light left in the room. He then went over to the bathroom and opened his mirror to get the Aspirin. He closed the bottle and placed it back, popping the two pills into mouth and drinking them down with tap water from the sink. He then kicked off his shoes and just climbed into bed and under the covers with his clothes and socks on as he covered his head and curling himself into a ball. He breathed in and out deeply through his nose, hoping now his pain would go away fully and he would forget about Tyler completely.

He went to sleep about half an hour later. And, not really surprised, dreamt about Tyler.

_His dream started totally innocent, well as innocent as can be that is. Jeremy was sitting on his bed, with Tyler totally naked and cupping his face. They both kissed the languish way. Slowly exploring and tasting each other. Jeremy simply let himself fall into the soft caressing and love what Tyler was doing to his mouth. He couldn't help himself and let his hands wander over Tyler's slightly sweaty skin. He played with Tyler's stiff nipples, touched his abs and grabbed his back, pressing both their bodies together. As much as Jeremy denied it to himself in the real world, he couldn't hide from it here. This was just right, this was home._

_Jeremy lay Tyler's naked form down on the bed, hovering over him and placing kisses on his chest. Then Tyler grabbed him and whirled them around, placing himself on top of him. Tyler drove down and sucked at Jeremy's neck, applying sweet suction to the tender skin, making Jeremy moan._

_Then a sharp pain sliced through his body and Jeremy yelled in pain. Tyler let go and Jeremy stared horrified into two yellow eyes. Panic took over and he tried to shake the werewolf off, but Tyler had his arms in an iron grip while his smile revealed bloody canines._

_Suddenly Tyler was pulled back and Jeremy saw Matt struggling with Tyler, pulling him away from the bed to the other end of the room. But Matt only managed so much. Tyler grabbed behind and threw Matt over him, making the ground shook under the young hero's body as he collided with it. Before Matt could even lift his head, Tyler grabbed him by the throat and lifted his body off the ground with one arm. A deep snarl came from Tyler's throat as Matt dangled in the air, desperately trying to get some air. Tyler threw him against the next wall, making fractures appear in it. As Matt sank down to the floor Jeremy's eyes were drawn to Tyler again by the sounds of something cracking._

_The sight was horrible. Tyler's legs got twisted and bent; his arms looked as though they were about to curl and his skin got darker, while it looked as though big bubbles were running under his skin. Low snarling came from his elongating face while grey fur sprouted from his body and his nails elongated into black claws. In less than a minute his body had transformed into that of a black wolf the size of a pony._

_A groan made Jeremy look away. Matt tried to rise from the floor but stopped as he opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the huge beast in front of him. Before he could react, the wolf leaped at Matt and tore into his throat. The only sounds coming from Matt were chokes and even those got drowned by the fierce growls of the beast that kept shaking the mangled flesh like a possessed man. The monster tore at Matt, ripping the throat out before descending on his belly. Jeremy was petrified, his eyes glued to the horrific scene in front of him: Tyler eating his best friend._

_After a while the wolf let the body go and turned its blood-covered head towards Jeremy. Jeremy was unable to lift a single finger as the wolf pulled back his bloody flews to reveal equally red teeth. It turned around completely and began to advanced on him._

Jeremy woke up in cold sweat, shaking all over. He gasped for air, swallowing down the urge to vomit. He curled into a fetal position, desperate to stop the tremors from ravaging his body.

"Why?" he whispered.

* * *

><p>Note: Hear angels? I sure do. Don't forget to review! ;)<p> 


	30. Nothing Special

First Time for Everything

Chapter 30

**Note:** **Thank you Simba! And thank you my amazing people for giving me the courage to continue writing! **I'm sorry for the long wait. I started college and I had a writer's block for a few days but here's another chapter and I hope you like it! :)

* * *

><p>Katherine groaned when she heard her alarm go off on the nightstand, filling her room with 'Milkshake' by Kelis. She reached over and turned it off, taking a deep breath and stretching out her stiff muscles on the bed for a moment. Suddenly she sat up, feeling something was wrong. It felt close, almost as if she was looking right at it. She listened for anything suspicious but the only thing she could hear was the sound of running water in Jenna's room. With the feeling still lingering in her mind and setting her instincts on edge, she carefully got out of bed and walked to the door and opened it. She looked both ways down the hall before she stepped out and walked over to Jeremy's door. She pressed her ear against the wood and listened: nothing. She stared hard at the door and ran a hand through her tangled hair. <em>Was something wrong with Jeremy? <em>She knocked on his door and waited for an answer. After a moment, she was about to knock again when she heard Jeremy give her what sounded like a 'what'.

"It's me. Feel better?"

She couldn't make out his response and frowned, wondering if he was either still tired or just grumpy.

"What?" she asked leaning her ear against the door again. She heard him mumble something but couldn't understand him…again.

She sighed in frustration and placed her hand on the door knob. "If you don't give me a clear answer, I'm coming in."

Nothing. With that, she opened the door and peeked inside in case he was indecent. Jeremy was sitting on his bed, his back towards her, head bowed down silently.

"Jer?" she whispered, as if afraid of what might be happening. In the back of her mind, she knew. Stupid that she didn't realize it yesterday. _Damn, it's starting. _

She walked over to where he was and sat right next to him. He didn't look up at her when he talked.

"I feel weak," he whispered.

"Well, you didn't eat anything yesterday."

He didn't respond. She sighed. "I'll bring up breakfast for you. I think you should stay home today."

He simply nodded.

"Is it only your stomach?"

"I feel…weird."

"Weird?" she asked, biting her lip.

"I have no idea how to describe it but…I just feel weird."

Jenna knocked gently on the door. "Hey, everything okay in there?"

"Jeremy's hungry. I'll be down to get breakfast for him."

"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Jenna stepped into the dark room and peered down at Jeremy in concern. "Anything in particular you're hungry for hon? Eggs? Omelet? Some French toast?"

"Anything's fine, I guess. Thanks," he mumbled. Jenna looked at Katherine in question.

"He said anything is fine, thanks," she said, giving her a shrug on what's going on with Jeremy.

"Okay, Jer. I'll make you some oatmeal. You too?" she asked her. Katherine gave her a small smile and nodded, mouthing a please.

Jenna sighed and left the room, her footsteps going down the stairs a few seconds later.

Katherine stared down at her cousin for a moment, not knowing what to do to help.

What would happen if she told him? What if she was wrong about the situation? _Maybe he really is just getting sick. _She had to keep an eye on things and ask Tyler if anything weird was happening with him. If it is than she would have her not- preferable answer. 'Stay calm' had to be her mantra from now on. With Jeremy's reluctance towards the whole situation the path would be stony at best.

She laid a hand on top of Jeremy's, the one that was resting on his thigh. He tilted his head slightly in her direction, his eyes covered by his slightly too long bangs.

"You'll see you'll feel better after breakfast. You lay down and I'll bring your oatmeal when it's ready, okay?"

"Mmhm."

She squeezed his hand lightly and stood up, watching as he began to lie down. She eyed his clothes.

"Don't you wanna take your jeans off? It could be more comfortable for you."

"When you leave," he mumbled, closing his eyes.

She walked to the door, a little stung by his words, and glanced back at him one more time before she closed the door behind her. She went back to her room to shower. She quickly chose denim shorts and a purple and black flowery tank top, and slipped her feet into her shoes. She decided not to bother with her hair and put it into a bun before adding on a little make up and going downstairs to check on the oatmeal.

Jenna saw her enter and grabbed a bowl, pouring some into it and slipping a spoon in. She brought it over to her on a tray.

"Let me give you some napkins."

Katherine then carefully went up the stairs to Jeremy's room. She knocked before opening the door and stepping inside.

"Hey I brought you your…"

She pause mid- sentence when she heard a loud noise coming from inside the bathroom. She recognized that sound when she saw Jeremy wasn't in bed. _Oh shit. _She placed the bowl and napkins on the nightstand and raced to the bathroom to see her cousin on the floor, trying to puke his guts out into the toilet. She quickly knelt down next to him.

"Easy, easy," she reassured, rubbing his back as he kept going. She noticed that nothing came out of him except some gale. A moment later, he finished and fell back to sit down on the floor.

* * *

><p>Jeremy felt horrible; it was the closest thing he could describe how he was feeling. He still wanted to puke – not that he had anything to begin with. He was tired, and his head was hurting again. When he was done throwing up air and gale, he fell back on his ass to rest. He heard Katherine flush down – what he didn't get since nothing had come out - and then saw her hand reaching to him. He quickly lifted a hand to stop her.<p>

"I'm fine."

Disbelief covered her face. "Are you serious? You practically just tried to cough up your lungs right now!"

"I'm just sick. It happens to everyone." Albeit puking when you had nothing to puke felt worse to him than the normal deal.

She frowned down at him, hurt in her eyes. "Why won't you let me help you?"

The doorbell suddenly ran downstairs.

"That's probably Stefan. You should go," he mumbled.

"Let me at least help you back to bed."

He shook his head and motioned for her to go.

"Katherine, its Stefan! It's almost time for school and you haven't had breakfast yet!" Jenna called from downstairs.

She ignored her, keeping her eyes on Jeremy. "Why won't you let me help you?"

He stared right back at her, challenging her. "Why are you helping Tyler behind my back?"

Her eyes grew wide with surprise. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, no words coming out. The room was silent but Jeremy's glare seemed to be quite unnerving, judging by the sweat on his cousin's forehead and temples.

"Katherine?" Jenna called, her voice slicing through the silence like a sharp knife. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Did he tell you?" she finally whispered, lowering her eyes to the floor.

He didn't say anything.

Jenna poked her head into the room. "Katherine, are you in here?"

Katherine raised her eyes to him again, her eyes suddenly looking determined and not regretful at all. "I'll see you later."

* * *

><p>Tyler was grabbing the books he needed for his first three classes when someone hugged him from behind. He jerked, surprised, and for a second he hoped it could be Jeremy, but his senses didn't pick up the sweet scent of honeysuckle.<p>

"Tyler! Missed me?"

Tyler almost groaned aloud. He knew that voice and the irony of the situation was that only three months ago he would have welcomed her with open pants. Today he just wanted her to disappear.

He turned around when she let him go. "What do you want, Chelsea?"

She smiled at him like if he was God on earth. Well he was but right now all he wanted to be was Jeremy's god.

"Just wanting to know how you've been doing and if you're busy today."

"I've been better and yes I'm very busy today. See ya."

Shock crossed her face at his rejection and emotionless tone. He slammed his locket shut and began to walk away. She stayed at his side, keeping up with his fast pace.

"How about tomorrow?" she asked eagerly.

"Busy." _Get lost!_

"The day after tomorrow?" Still eager.

"Football game," Tyler nearly growled.

"How about after the football game?"

_Man the chick is thick._

He came to halt and glared down at her. "Can't you take the hint, woman? I don't want anything to do with you! Stop bothering me!"

With that, he turned away and kept heading for his next class, where he found Katherine waiting outside the door, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest and looking a little pissed off.

Tyler hesitated for a second before walking over to her. She looked up at him and glared.

_If looks could kill_, he thought sarcastically.

"You told him about us? What we were doing?" she demanded lowly, but with an acid edge to her voice.

He sighed. "I only told him that I knew he was lying to Matt about his confession."

She rolled her eyes and had an expression on her face that clearly said 'idiot'. "Well obviously he was going to figure it out how you knew, Tyler! I was the only person besides Matt that he told the day before!"

"I'm sorry but I had to."

"Well, now he doesn't even want my help while…," she trailed off. Her expression turned from annoyed and angry to frightened. She looked around for any eavesdroppers before she drew a deep breath and asked, "Has anything weird been happening to you these past few days?"

He narrowed his eyes and felt his face distort with worry. "Is Jeremy still sick?"

She nodded. "I think it got worse today. He tried to throw up this morning. I tried to help him but he wouldn't let me, thanks to you."

He ignored the last part and he frowned in concern for his mate. He suddenly had to the urge to skip school and football practice to go see him, but he knew Jeremy would probably only kick him out.

"So have you been experiencing anything then?" she asked him, impatiently.

"My uncle; he told me Sunday night about symptoms when the wolf and mate are separated for a long period of time. He told me that I'll be going into hyperactivity and have strange dietary cravings. I haven't been on energy overload yet but the cravings started Sunday morning. I've been eating raw steak and packages of ham. I get these…pains telling me that I have to go eat it."

"So you haven't been eating normal anymore?"

"I can but I've been having pretty strong feelings for meat, especially raw. But then again this morning I ate an egg omelet filled with chopped pickles, and afterwards emptied a glass of peanut butter."

Katherine closed her eyes and waved her hand rapidly in front of her face like if she was trying to swat away the image. "Anyway, I think the symptoms are starting. Did you uncle tell you anything about Jeremy?"

Tyler's eyes darkened at this. "No. And I think he's holding the information back for some reason. Maybe he thinks I can't handle the truth."

"Or that you'd do something stupid," Katherine suggested with a serious tone.

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Maybe I would, but wouldn't you if he was the object of your sanity?"

Katherine glanced away. "When you put it that way…"

Tyler knew they were in pretty deep waters now and it scared him. Who knows what he would be capable of once he started acting upon the other consequences his uncle mentioned? Hyperactivity didn't sound like much of a threat but who was he to know? How does a werewolf react to that? Time was precious now but it wasn't like Tyler could go to Jeremy and force him to accept him. He had no idea whether he would even be able to look into a mirror if he were ever to do that. This whole situation was fucked up. His thoughts drifted back to that little talk with Matt in the Grill those long weeks ago. Before Jeremy had come to town and both boys had believed to be straight. Back then Tyler was fully convinced that 'the One' doesn't exist and if it did it would never happen to him. And now this very 'One' was practically thrown at and chained to him with the sensibility of a blunt ax. Couldn't it at least have been some guy he already knows, not some total stranger he knew dick about? No it had to be a guy, a guy for Christ's sake! Sure, a hot one with a delicious butt, deep brown eyes and lips that begged to be kissed.

"Doesn't he know?" he asked, frustrated at the situation.

Katherine looked back at him. He didn't need to say more to make her know what she was referring to. "That you're his mate? Yes but he's afraid of you."

_5 points for Mason. _"Does he know why he's getting sick?"

"I don't think so. I never told him exactly what would happen if he didn't give in because I didn't even know what the consequences were myself; well that and I can't help to feel that this is forced. My book did tell me that bad things would happen but didn't specify."

He frowned in confusion. "Your 'book'?"

Katherine huffed, as if realizing she had said something she shouldn't have. "I'll tell you the rest some other time," she paused and turned an evil glare on him. "And you better not tell Stefan what's going on!"

Tyler raised his hands up in surrender. "You know I won't tell him about what's going on."

"You told Jeremy."

Tyler now glared back at her. "Could you move on with that? What's done is done. I'm not going to tell Stefan I'm…"

He stopped and bit his tongue, realizing he was only two words away from saying his secret in school where there was always a risk of someone over hearing. Sometimes he couldn't believe how stupid he tended to act.

Katherine continued like nothing happened. "Your family is not the only one in this town with some history. I will not tell you anything since I am still not sure where I stand with you mister. Believe me when I tell you that I could make your life a living hell if I want to."

He drew in a deep breath and counted to ten, letting it out. His uncle had told him about other things existing in his little history lecture but he hadn't thought much of it. He realized now that it was logical that others would know of their existence as well and therefore of course also about werewolves. Glancing around it was obvious that the hallway was now too full with walking students. _It's not safe anymore to talk here. _

As if Katherine read his mind, she nodded and said, "I'll meet up with you later. Hang in there."

She then walked away just as the bell was ringing. Tyler watched her until she disappeared around a corner. He then walked inside his class, feeling like his body was on automatic pilot. He kept thinking about Katherine's half-threat and if he should tell Mason about it…but then there was the risk of Mason reacting violently; after all, if she actually could be a threat to werewolves, Mason might try to kill her to get rid of a potential enemy.

* * *

><p>Matt had gotten a call from Katherine as he was heading over to her house to check up on Jeremy before school. She had told him Jeremy was not feeling any better so he wasn't going to school and Matt shouldn't bother to come around to see him; he wasn't feeling very friendly at the moment either. Matt had thanked her for letting him know and was tempted to still go and see Jeremy but something told him he should wait until after school to let him rest. That's when an idea popped into his mind, making him smile to himself. He was sure it would cheer Jeremy up as much as it would surprise him.<p>

* * *

><p>David watched the door from his desk as he waited for Steven to arrive, ignoring the conversations of his team mates next to him. Ever since he had that…crazy, intense dream of Steven and himself, it seemed the guy was all he could think about besides football.<p>

The bell rang for class to start a few minutes later. Even while he felt disappointed, thinking Steven wasn't coming to school today, he tried to concentrate on what the teacher was saying. Halfway through the class, the door opened and Steven came in, a bored look on his face as he walked to his desk next to Daniel without even glancing over at the teacher.

"Late pass, Mr. Dorlan?" Mrs. Kennedy asked, giving him a look of disapproval.

"No."

"Well then you better go get one now, please."

"Don't feel like it."

Daniel's eyes widened at Steven's blunt and rude responses towards the teacher. Steven wasn't the most well-mannered guy in the school but he never went this far to any of the staff—well not that Daniel could remember.

Mrs. Kennedy looked at Steven with wide eyes then narrowed them in anger.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked.

The whole class was entirely silent, watching the situation between the teacher and Steven with eagerness and curiosity of what would happen now.

"You heard me. I just don't feel like getting up for a late pass today."

All eyes went back to Mrs. Kennedy.

She glared at him. "Outside! Now!"

All of them watched as she went over to the door and waited for Steven to follow. Steven had no emotion on his face as he slowly got up and walked out of the classroom. Daniel's heart was beating loudly in his ears, hoping he wouldn't do anything stupid like hitting her.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Troy next to him asked the guy nearest to the doorway.

The guy leaned as close as he could to the door and listened for a moment. Then the guy shook his head. "_Nada._"

_Was that good or bad?_

A minute later, the teacher stepped inside first and held the door open for Steven as he came in, still expressionless. He sat down and the teacher went back to the front of the classroom to resume the lecture like nothing happened.

Some students whispered in confusion about what happened as they glanced over at Steven. Daniel turned away and glanced over at his friend, wondering if he'd say something about what happened. Steven's eyes turned towards him, a small smirk appearing upon the corner of his mouth before looking away.

It seemed like forever before the bell finally rang for first period to come to an end. Daniel wanted to hear so bad about what happened out there with Mrs. Kennedy but before he could ask, his other team mates beat him to it.

"What happened out there, man?" Patrick asked, excited for the story.

Steven shrugged like if it was the most insignificant thing someone could have asked him. "We talked things over. She let me off the hook this time."

"Why were you late this morning?" Daniel then asked.

Steven just stared at him, almost as if he was saying 'we'll talk later'.

"I have to get to class. I'll see you guys."

With that, he stood up and walked out.

"He can be so weird sometimes," Troy mumbled.

Daniel glared at Troy. "Shut up jackass, he probably has issues going on at home."

Troy chuckled. "Defending his honor?"

"Whatever."

Daniel stood up and left, feeling a little embarrassed about defending Steven. He's never done it before, they had always teased and made fun of one another since Elementary, but he had suddenly taken Troy's comment too seriously. _Or maybe I'm taking the dream too seriously. _Steven had never shown any interest in guys, much less him but one thing for sure was that he wouldn't mind doing something he's never done before…

Daniel rounded a corner and gasped in surprise when he felt a strong arm grip his arm. He glanced to see Steven, a determined expression on his face.

"Gym at lunch. Don't keep me waiting."

Steven walked away without another word. Daniel suddenly felt like doing a happy dance; Steven trusted him and he was sure he would find out about what happened during first period. He could hardly wait.

* * *

><p>Mason was reading a novel from his brother's office outside in a chair under the cool shade of the large umbrella in the backyard when the screen door opened and Mason glanced up to see Richard step outside in his usual business tux and tie.<p>

"Glad to see you finally decided to take a break from work, brother. I don't remember the last time we've talked for more than five minutes," Mason teased, smirking in amusement.

Richard didn't return any friendly gesture back which didn't surprise Mason anymore. The older man then closed the screen behind him and sat down in the chair across the round, glass, table. Mason closed the door and watched his brother, curious to what was on his mind. When his sense of smell picked up discomfort from his elder sibling, he had a good guess what their conversation was going to be about. Luckily, Mason had prepared the day before for when the time would come.

Richard looked out into the freshly cut lawn for a moment before he turned towards him. "I don't want to sound like I want to kick you out or anything, Mason, but I was wondering if you had other plans soon."

"Plans?"

"You know, like, a job or some reunion with friends you need to get to. It's been a few months with us and I wanted to know if you plan on staying a little more time."

Mason gave him a teasing smile. "Well it always seemed I've been staying with Tyler since I don't really see you anymore, _Richard_. But if you must know, I got a job yesterday as the town's Game Warren so I plan to stay longer."

Richard looked at him with surprise. "Well…I'm glad you're focusing your time on helping the town."The older man then looked back at the yawn, suddenly looking tired. "You know how focused I have to be for my job, Mason. This house, this backyard, and the future events of the remaining year I've worked for with my own hands. Yeah, Carol has always been helping me and I appreciate it but people except a lot from me as Mayor."

Mason mood darkened. "Sadly, those same two hands didn't raise your own son."

Richard jerked his head towards him, a full on glare upon his face when he suddenly stood up. "You have no right to say something like that! You chose not to be part of this family when you left town so don't you dare start intervene in it with accusations!"

Mason stood up himself but with a more calmly manner. "I'm not accusing you of anything, brother. I'm just stating the facts. If you only knew what's really going on in your son's life you would know your work could never compare to it."

He suddenly laughed, sarcastically. "Oh and you think you know my son more than I do?"

Mason placed the book upon the table and walked towards the screen door. When he passed his brother he whispered, "You have no idea."

* * *

><p>Daniel practically ran down the hall to the gymnasium when third period American Government was dismissed that day. When he arrived, he looked through the small windows; some of the students still filing into the locker rooms. When everyone had left, he opened the door and went inside, looking around for any sign of Steven. He had chosen not to eat lunch so he wouldn't keep his friend waiting like he was warned. When he didn't see him, he placed his backpack on the floor and sat down on a bottom bleacher to wait. A few minutes passed by and Daniel waved to some kids he knew from his other classes as they filed out of the gym from the locker rooms. When they left, Steven suddenly appeared next to him. He jumped in surprise.<p>

"Dude, what the fuck?"

Steven just smirked, amused that he had scared him. Daniel wondered how the guy was able to sit next to him without even hearing him.

"Let's get down to business. We don't want any interruption."

"Well we are in school…"

"I bet you wanna know what happened this morning."

It wasn't a question. Daniel hesitated but slowly nodded.

Steven turned and stared at the basketball hoops in the middle of the gym. "It's complicated but I'll let you in on my biggest secret that no one in town knows about if you agree to a deal."

Daniel studied him, wondering if he was being serious about all this. He kind of expected for the older boy to suddenly burst out laughing and just saying say he had lied about his dad having a heart attack this morning because he over slept.

But he didn't. Instead his turned back to him, his smirk fading and looking straight into his eyes.

"What kind of deal then?" Daniel finally asked, a little nervous under the intensity of the other's gaze. Steven looked away as he twisted around to open his backpack and pull out a camcorder that looked almost like a cellphone.

"I want you to become my partner in a little project I'm doing."

He frowned, staring down at the object. "For school?"

"Not exactly. I need you to trust me, Dan, so don't ask too many questions."

"I do trust you."

Steven's smirk came back upon his face. "Then I need you to inform me on Tyler Lockwood's daily moves."

Daniel turned towards him. "Are you planning something against Lockwood?"

"I'll let you in on that some other time. I need you to show me I can trust you 100%. Think you can do that?"

Steven placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. He could smell the sudden arousal inside the boy's pants. Shame they had to be in a school gymnasium.

"Y-yeah, I'll do whatever you want. Just tell me what you I need to do."

_Perfect._

* * *

><p>Jeremy only ate two spoonful of oatmeal despite Jenna's encouragement. She took his arm pit temperature afterwards, but she told him he was fine. Not really in his eyes. Jeremy wanted to puke, the light hurt his eyes when Jenna opened the curtains, and he felt like all energy had been sapped from his body. She brought him a cold water bottle from the fridge and told Jeremy to rest. She did not need to tell him twice. It was almost four pm when he woke up again.<p>

Jeremy gasped in surprise when he saw a figure on his bed.

"Shhh, it's me."

It took Jeremy a few seconds to realize it was Matt, sitting next to him on the edge of the bed, looking down.

Jeremy let out a relieved sigh. "God, you scared me. How long have you been here?"

"I'm sorry. I've been here for about half an hour now, but I didn't want to wake you. Katherine told me what happened this morning and I wanted to see how you were doing."

Jeremy managed a small smile. "Thanks."

"Vicky wanted to come too but she had detention, so she'll come tomorrow to see you if you still don't feel better."

He chuckled. "For what now?"

"For calling the teacher a sexist bastard."

"Bet he deserved it though."

"He probably did. I had Mr. Munsen in junior year and he can be quite the asshole when he wants to be."

Jeremy rolled onto his side and supported himself on his arm. He frowned slightly when he saw something floating—literally—behind Matt.

"What is that?" he asked.

Matt smiled before turning around and bending down to bring up a wrapped basket of candies, three 'Get Well' balloons strings tied to the handle.

"Little something to cheer you up."

Jeremy's face heated up with embarrassment. "You didn't have to."

"I wanted to."

Jeremy touched the squeaky transparent wrapping paper. "You just wanna fatten me up, don't you?"

Matt smirked. "One more thing."

Jeremy watched as Matt brought up a white shopping bag. He was barely able to make out the words 'Mystic Crystals'. His eyes widened. For an instant, he felt cold. _Was he going to do what I think he is? _

Matt gave it to him, his smile still on his face. "Open it."

Jeremy slowly let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Matt didn't seem to notice.

He then carefully opened the bag and took out a wrapped object from inside. It was about the size of his fist. He glanced at Matt in question who was silently watching him.

"Go on."

Jeremy looked back down at the object and carefully un-wrapped it. His mouth dropped open; a figurine of a bird with a black body and white crescent-like patch just below its throat.

"That's an Ouzel bird. It is said that even though he has an innocent appearance at first glance, when provoked it can defend itself and family during danger." Matt paused and chuckled. "I hoped you don't get offended by comparing you to a bird but I thought of you when the lady at the store told me about it."

Jeremy raised an eyebrow at him. "You think I look innocent but can defend my family during danger?"

"Well the bird would try so wouldn't you?"

Jeremy nodded, agreeing and placing his hand over Matt's. "Thank you for the gifts."

Matt leaned in and kissed him. Jeremy pulled back.

"I don't want to get you sick."

Matt shrugged, teasing. "Then I'll just have to stay here with you."

"Ohhh yeah, Jenna would love to hear that one."

Matt smirked before looking down at the crystal bird. "I wanted to get you something a little more beautiful like a bunny or a deer or…"

"I'll stick with the bird, thank you." Jeremy cut him off, laughing but then stopped when he began to cough.

Matt quickly took the bird and placed it on the nightstand so he could lie back down on the bed.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, my throat is just dry. Can you hand me the bottle, please?" he managed, pointing to the water bottle.

"Of course."

Matt grabbed it and opened the cap, handing it over. Jeremy took a good couple of swallows and sighed, relieved. "Thanks."

"Did your cough start today?"

"No that was the first one. Guess that means I won't be getting any better by tomorrow."

"Did you take anything this morning?"

"No 'cause I didn't think I'd need it. My stomach hurts and I feel weak so I thought maybe it's just something to sleep off."

"I may not be a doctor but it sounds like you have the stomach flu. You can't take anything for that so you'll have to rest on it for a few days. If that's the case then I can bring you your homework after work until you recover."

"You're awesome to me, I don't deserve it."

Matt frowned. "Why do you think that? I mean we love each other and I know you'd do the same for me."

_Oh god, here comes the guilt pain eating at me insides again. _

"I don't know I just feel that I don't deserve you…at all."

Matt leaned down and kissed him deeply for a moment. "Don't think that way, Jer. I'd do anything for you."

Jeremy was about to respond when Matt's cell phone began to ring. He took it out and motioned for him to hold on before he pressed the answer button.

"I'll be there in a couple. I'm here with Jeremy. Um…," he paused and looked down at the younger boy. "Sure one sec."

Matt handed him the phone and Jeremy pressed the phone to his ear. "Yeah?"

"Hey, Jeremy! How are you feeling? So very fucking sorry I couldn't be there to see you with Matt today! I got a detention because my stupid Biology teacher said that women can't work in business. Who talks about business in Bio class anyway? Sorry I'm talking too much here."

Jeremy smiled. "Don't apologize I would be angry too. Matt told me the story, so don't worry about not being here. I'm doing a little better but with lots of rest tonight, I'll cross my fingers to be back in school tomorrow."

"I hope so! All the students there suck except for you and Katherine. By the way is it true that she and Stefan are together? I saw them a few times but she's always busy looking so I don't want to interrupt anything."

"Yeah they're together. Hasn't been long but they've gotten close. He's here almost every day."

"Well with someone like Stefan I wouldn't want him out of my sight either," she giggled.

Jeremy rolled his eyes at the statement.

"But hey I've told my brother to watch out, cause those bitches are likes wolves and they will try to get you," she continued in a sudden serious voice. Jeremy cringed internally at her words and hoped it didn't show on his face.

* * *

><p>Tyler grinded his teeth in anger, unable to move a single muscle ever since he saw Matt sneaking into Jeremy's house carrying a candy basket Tyler could smell even from this distance and three balloons. If he knew Matt as good as he thought he did, Matt would surely have hand-picked something special; something that would fit Jeremy in every way. That was Matt. And what was Tyler?<p>

He looked down his right arm to the light brown basket hanging there. There were no balloons, only a get well card. The only sweet was a small chocolate bar. Apart from that it had a bottle of champagne, a few apples, pears and grapes, a salami, liverwurst, peanut butter, orange juice and mint drops. It had a blue artfully tied bow and some crackers. In short: it was completely generic. Something you could buy or order at every half-way decent store; which was exactly where he had got it. He had practically picked it at random without any thought about it. There was nothing to it, nothing not tacky and soulless; nothing special at all. The fact made Tyler's blood boil and he threw the basket on the ground with inhuman speed, shattering the glass and smashing the more tender fruits.

Seeing the pile in front of him Tyler was torn between anger and the desire to beat Matt to a pulp and the shame and self-loathing he felt for himself. He took heavy breaths, his chest rising and sinking slowly. A battle was raging in his mind and he knew without a shred of doubt that it had nothing to do with his wolf. This was him in every way. In the end shame won over anger. This was the only friend he had and here he stood wanting to beat the shit out of him. He had to realize that it was true what his fine ears had carried to him over the years and Jeremy had done nothing to deserve someone like Tyler. But they were stuck with each other.

Fate was a bitch in every sense of the word and now she had decided to mess with Tyler and Jeremy, and just for fun throw Matt into it. Tyler and Jeremy at least knew what was going on, well Tyler did anyway, but Matt was thrown into it without any clue about what was happening here. Water started to fill Tyler's eyes as the shame mixed with loathing. He turned on his heels and ran. He didn't care whether anybody saw him, didn't care that he might care, he just ran; ran so fast he was barely more than a blurry humanoid shape to onlookers.

* * *

><p>Jeremy couldn't sleep that night after showering. Vicky had reminded him of Tyler during the phone conversation and after Matt left, he didn't want to talk to Katherine. He had a feeling she would still be going to him, telling him things, and helping him win Jeremy over.<p>

Jeremy caught himself thinking Tyler didn't seem too bad sometimes. Not just because of the apology but because he knew he had to go through his life with—literally—an inner demon and for that, Jeremy had to respect him. But Tyler's demon is what scared him the most of the boy, what he could and can be capable of even before a full moon. But there was no way in Jeremy's mind that all there was bad about Tyler was due to his wolf, Tyler was very much an ass himself. And Jeremy was neither stupid nor deaf. People talked, they whispered and murmured. They did it while being on their way, on the toilet, behind raised hands, but they did it. And not one thing he heard was overtly positive about Tyler Lockwood. Not him and neither about his family. His mother seemed the most likeable of the three, but had a reputation for being snobby. His dad seemed to be a douche people liked only formally. There was also Tyler's uncle but Jeremy had picked up next to nothing about him, but also nothing bad either. Then there was Tyler himself, about whom Katherine's earliest comment seemed to fit perfectly. Lady's men, spoiled brat, too full of himself to have room for anyone more, anger management issues, sensational fuck and the most likely to peek at Highschool and live of his family's money afterwards.

Jeremy glanced at the closed curtains, knowing outside would be a half full moon. He needed to find out more, chances were good that he might be stuck with the guy so he needed knowledge.

* * *

><p>Note: Don't forget to review!<p> 


	31. Could Love happen?

First Time for Everything

Chapter 31

Note: I turned 19 today and I have to tell you that I feel…old. Lol. I seriously do. Oh well. I saw the Tyler/Caroline first time sex a moment ago and I was just thinking that Jeremy had dyed his hair blonde hehe! Thanks to witch20 for sharing that she did that too! I'm sure us Jyler fans were also laughing our butts off when Mrs. Lockwood shot Caroline down! By the way she was looking at Caroline, the entire time she must have been thinking "WHORE!" also lol. Also is it me or is Klaus a little…weird around Stefan? And I'm sure you all know what I mean about "weird" ;) But that could just be me every time I see Klaus' personal space issues with him. Anyway sorry for blabbing just really happy the season started again! Thank you guys for being awesome, on the new pace of the updates, and for Jyler in the story. Trust me, IT WILL HAPPEN! Lol. Thank you to Simba for continuing to help me and fixing my millions of errors in every chapter! =^^=

093022m: Thank you so much for your enthusiasm! :D Sorry for taking long for another chapter. College :_

Juliettesalvatore1999: Thank you girl for supporting! Hope you like this next one too! :)

* * *

><p>Jeremy woke up in the morning, still tired but not wanting to practically stay another whole day in bed – it was boring and he was sure that his room started to smell. He got up and first thing he did was to open the curtains. He winced at the sudden brightness but turned away instead of just closing them again to give him some motivation to stay out of bed. After a few moments of adjusting, he opened the window and let the cool morning air invade his room. He then showered, brushed his teeth, changed into his usual style of jeans and shirt, and brushed his hair before going downstairs to try to eat some breakfast. His stomach was less nauseous than yesterday but he didn't want to go a third day without eating anything.<p>

When he came down to the kitchen, the girls practically screamed with excitement. Jenna was the first to rush over and give him a hug.

"I'm so glad you're walking again! Are you hungry?" she asked.

"Kind of," he admitted. He smiled at her and turned his gaze to Katherine who looked hesitant to move in for a hug of her own. He rolled his eyes and opened his arms awkwardly. She came into them without another thought. She wasn't forgiven but he couldn't just ignore her while they lived under the same roof.

"Here, sit down," Katherine said, pulling him gently into a chair at the table. "I was just talking about tomorrow night's game. I hope you can make it so we can go together and support our guys. But how are you feeling today? You look a little better. Getting out of bed says something positive."

_I bet I know who you're really referring to. _"Yeah, I'm sure Stefan and Matt will kick...butt."

Jenna turned from the frying pan to give him an eye roll.

"But I do feel a little better. My stomach hurts but that could be because I haven't eaten in two days," he added.

"So will you stay home today too?" Jenna asked.

"Yeah. I don't feel like I have my energy back to concentrate. Matt offered to bring me my missed homework when his shift is over today."

"I'm sure eating today will help."

In the end, he managed to eat half an egg and a piece of toast with raspberry jam and drank a glass of milk.

Afterwards, he thanked Jenna for breakfast and said his goodbye to Katherine before going back to his room. He closed the door behind him and went to the bathroom to take some pain medication for his head before he unplugged his cellphone and went over to sit on his desk chair to call Matt.

"Hey! Good to hear your voice! How's my baby feeling today?"

"I'm getting there but it's going to have to be another no show today."

"That's fine. I'll bring your homework after work. I know you miss doing it," he teased.

"Mmhm, with my very soul. Hey, I heard about tomorrow night's game. I hope I can be there without me puking on everyone."

"I hope you can come too but if you can't, then don't worry about it. There's going to be more games in the future. Either way, I know I'll do my best out there 'cause you're my inspiration."

Jeremy remembered his sketch book and how he hadn't even touched it in a while. He wished he could say Matt was his inspiration too but it would just add to his headache so he moved around his boyfriend's words to avoid commenting back on it.

"When does it start?"

"Seven, I believe."

Jeremy bit the inside of his cheek. He owed Matt, for more than just lying to him. He should be there to support him as the boyfriend he was.

"I'll be there. I promise."

Jeremy heard Katherine yell out her goodbye as her footsteps echoed down the stairs. Jenna called back to her before the door opened and closed seconds later.

"Jer, come on. It's not like I'll be mad or anything. You're more important than a football game."

"Thank you but I'm going, end of discussion on that."

He paused for a moment then sighed at his stubbornness. "Fine but don't overdo it if you're not feeling well enough. I'll see you in the afternoon then."

"You're not going to work tomorrow, are you? I don't want you collapsing in the middle of the game."

"I was actually going to tell you about that when I come to see you. I told my boss I wasn't going to work that day because of the game and he agreed to let me take the day off."

"He better have agreed."

Matt laughed. "Thanks for worrying about me. I'll see you later then. Love you, Jer."

"Love you too…Mattie."

"Oh god, she's rubbing off on you. Kidding," he kept laughing. "Bye."

Jeremy had never been to a football game. Part because he's always been bullied by jocks for being gay but another because neither Kyle nor him had even been curious enough to go see a single one. Though on one bored, rainy day at his house, Kyle was flipping through the channels when they came upon the sports. Few minutes passed and Jeremy had been about to tell him to change it when the camera man zoomed in on the football players…and made him forget what he had wanted to say. All he had been able to focus on was the tight pants; how they hugged in all the right places. His mouth had gone dry and he had felt a tingle in his groin. Looking down there had been a noticeable bulge in his pants. Blushing like he never had in his life, he quickly got up and headed for the bathroom, telling Kyle that he was going to pee. But that hadn't even been the most embarrassing part of it; minutes had passed and Jeremy had tried almost everything he could to get his erection down; thought of anything or anyone unattractive from school and T.V, splashed his face with cold water, and, hell, he even went as far as pulling down his jeans and splashing cold water on his dick.

Kyle had knocked on the door. "You've been there a while man, something up?"

"No, I'll be right out. Just give me a moment."

"Alright," his voice had a little concern in it.

As more time had passed, he had known of no choice but to satisfy himself. With his face still red as hell, he had slowly reached down to grab a hold of his throbbing piece. Covering his mouth with one hand he had begun to pump himself, using images of the school's football captain bend over and getting roughly fucked from behind by Jeremy, possessing his body with his cock while he jerked him off.

His whole body had shuddered when he came, stroking his cock a few more times to ride out the edge. Jeremy then had slid down the wall to the tile floor and heard a knock at the door as he tried to get his heart under control tucking himself back into his jeans.

"Dude, it's been like an hour!"

"I'll be right out."

"…Well what the hell are you doing in there? Are you constipated?"

"Haha," he had said sarcastically.

Jeremy had quietly gone over and flushed the toilet. He had washed his hands and opened the door, trying to shrug it off and act like nothing happened. Kyle had known something was up but soon forgot all about it when the pizza arrived.

Now Jeremy imagined Tyler in those tight pants. His damn good looking ass in perfect view for Jeremy to see as those gorgeously dark, unearthly eyes locking with eyes as he silently mouthed the word 'mine' through the same lips he dreamt he kissed at night…

His cell phone brought him back to reality with his sharp tone. _I need a new ringtone_. He looked at the screen and saw it was his mother, his face hot in embarrassment that he just day dreamed about the one person in the world he wanted to avoid.

_I don't care if I'm still sick tomorrow night or if Tyler is there, nothing is going to stop me from going for Matt. _

He pressed the answer button and tried not to look down at the erection in his jeans. "Hey, mom."

* * *

><p>Katherine was heading to the cafeteria when she saw Vicky walking in her direction. She smiled when she saw her.<p>

"Hey!"

"Hi. How are you?"

"Awesome. How about you? But then again I don't have to ask since I see you with a smile every time I see you."

She smirked, knowing she was referring to Stefan. "Who are you sitting with?"

"No one. I sit by myself during lunch."

Katherine remembered Vicky sitting at one of the back tables of the cafeteria by herself, picking at the 'how-dare-they-even-call-it-food?' food. She felt bad for the young girl.

"Wanna sit together?"

Vicky mouth dropped open in surprise. She looked she was about to agree then she hesitated "I don't know. Don't you sit with Stefan?"

She waved it off. "Don't worry about it. I didn't forget your offer of being friends after all, so wanna hang out at my place after school?"

Her eyes lit up again. "Sure!"

* * *

><p>Tyler was barely able to concentrate and do his work in class when Matt told him Jeremy wouldn't be coming to school that day either. Even though his best friend told him that Jeremy told him he was feeling better, Tyler knew things would only get worse as time went by. Jeremy probably thought it was just a cold. Tyler wished it was; but no, fate was a bitch. She made sure that the two of them either played by her rules or would suffer for it.<p>

He felt like a zombie when he walked down the hall, heading towards the locker room to change for practice.

"Do you really think he's taking steroids?" he suddenly heard some girl ask.

_Damn ears._

"Well Brandon told me he had pushed Daniel down like a stack of cards. I think he is," a guy responded.

"His father is probably telling him to. The guy's crazy," a second guy chipped in.

"They both are. They are rich and think they can do anything," the girl responded.

First game of the season was tomorrow night and people were already talking shit about him and his father. People always had tendency to talk about his family and usually not in a positive way, but the rumors and gossip always went up notch during football game seasons. But normally they had the decency to wait for some time. You would think that scoring for the team brought you at least some credit but apparently that wasn't the case with him. Having no real solution to the problem, he dealt it the way he had dealt with it for the past 17 years: ignoring it the best he could. The problem was that his ears didn't really allow it anymore. Hard to ignore something if you hear it so well you could practically be standing next to the person. Three years before he could have had more time of ignorance. Now this was no longer an option. He felt his blood boil more and more often now as he heard practically every gossip about them as soon as he was in visual range of other people, it wasn't quite as bad as when he had first triggered the curse but he still had troubles coping with it. His anger was always so close to the surface that there wasn't even a week when he didn't want to strangle somebody.

Tyler was the first one inside the locker rooms. When he opened his locker and began to undress, his team mates began to come in twos or threes. When he moved on to tying his shoes, Matt arrived at his locker.

"Hey, Ty," he greeted.

"Sup?"

Tyler felt he couldn't look at his best friend the eye yet, still upset over the basket incident the day before.

"Ready for tomorrow?" Matt asked him.

"I guess. I don't really think about it until I get on the field that night."

Matt looked at him and rolled his eyes, probably thinking he was just being cocky. For once this couldn't be further from the truth in Tyler's eyes. He was a bit too occupied with Jeremy and the danger of losing his sanity to be cocky right now.

Moments later, Tyler walked alongside Matt as they headed out of the locker room with their helmets in hand; nobody wanted them on during the summer when not needed. Inside the helmet the temperature seemed twenty degrees hotter. As they passed by the last row of lockers, Tyler locked eyes with Steven before Matt opened the door to head to the field. Tyler felt a chill run up his spine when he had looked into Steven's cold blue eyes. He knew the guy loathed him with his soul but Tyler felt like he wanted nothing to do with him anymore. His goal was to win Jeremy over; knocking down graduating in May to second place.

"How's work?" he asked, absently mindedly.

"Same old. Some days are more horrible than others but I'm pretty much used to it now. How's everything with you?"

"Same old. Some days are more horrible than others but I'm pretty much used to it," he replied, throwing a little smirk over.

Matt smiled and patted his shoulder in genuine sympathy. "Things will get better after graduation, you'll see."

_I hope even before then. _Tyler simply nodded and stepped into the field to stretch out his muscles. Couple of minutes later, everyone was ready as Tanner came out with his usual clipboard.

"Line up!" he ordered. "Shouldn't have to tell you this every time!"

They got in line and waited for the coach to begin his usual lecture before practice.

He paced slowly, looking at each one of them as he spoke. "Unless you have only short term memory, you know the first game of the season will be tomorrow night. Some of you are slacking. Should I be scared to ask why?"

Everyone was silent.

"Should I have freshmen take your places? Because I'm sure they can't possibly be any worse than you!"

Some mumbled an answer, others kept quiet.

"Louder!"

"No, coach!" they all yelled in unison.

"Go prove me wrong!" Tanner ordered and blew his whistle. Tyler placed on his helmet before jogging to his usual spot on the field. Daniel got in front of him, playing as his offense opponent.

"2-4-5 defense! Hike!" Steven yelled.

And that's when it happened. Tyler suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline shoot through his system, almost feeling like if he was in an extreme sugar rush; either way he felt more than ready to do this.

He lunged at Daniel, knocking him down like he weighed nothing. Daniel let out a loud grunt when he landed roughly onto his back.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tyler saw everyone suddenly stop and looked at Daniel and then at him, their mouths open and eyes wide with surprise. Tyler ignored them and stared down at Daniel with no regret. He walked over and offered his hand to help him up. Daniel stared at him and then down at his hand, breathing hard through his helmet, deciding if he should take it or not. Not really surprised, Daniel didn't and got up on his own, glaring as he backed away from him. Tyler smelled his fear at how strong he must be if he could take him down like that.

Tyler flinched slightly when the loud blow of Tanner's whistle broke the tense air.

"Lockwood, get over here!" the Coach demanded. Tyler glanced away from Daniel and jogged over to Tanner, his face expressionless. He was ready to go on for another round, not caring if he had hurt Daniel; it wasn't like he was going to die. Worse things have happened during games before.

"There is a problem?"

"No, Coach."

"I'm happy to see you putting effort out there but I don't want to lose players right now."

"I understand, Coach."

The man paused and eyed him. "Are you taking something?"

"No, Coach."

"Well you've always had better strength than the others but if you push it too much, people will get suspicious, understand what I'm getting at?"

Tyler nodded. "I'll ease up."

The coach nodded, trusting his word before dismissing him. He blew the whistle for the team to start over. Steven was smirking at him as he returned but Tyler ignored him.

Tyler could still smell the fear rolling off from Daniel even though he had a determined face on as he crouched down into defense position.

The wolf wanted to go all out violent upon the guy but Tyler shoved him aside and concentrated on what he was doing.

"2-4-5 defense! Hike!" Steven called out and he passed the ball to Stefan. Tyler went at Daniel and pushed him back to stop him from getting to Stefan successfully. Tyler saw Daniel was trying with everything he had to push back but had no success. A moment later, he heard the guys cheer. Tyler backed off from Daniel and glanced behind him to see Stefan had made it to the touch down line.

Tyler glanced back at Daniel to see the guy wasn't even staring at him anymore. He was looking over at Steven with an expression Tyler couldn't identify. Before he could ponder on it, Matt came over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If only each game could be this easy, right?"

Tyler smirked at him, taking off his helmet. "You know the guys let him win because he's on the same team."

Stefan then came over, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Hey."

Both boys congratulated him.

"Thanks, it's harder than it looks like. Plus I have all the pressure off whether we win or not."

"Well it's really just a game," Matt said, shrugging, trying to reassure Stefan.

"Tell that to some people," Tyler said, glancing over at Tanner who blew the whistle.

"Alright let's do it again!" the man ordered.

The rest of practice went by in a blur. Tyler knew what was going on with him now; he was getting worse. Didn't really feel like he was but it was a symptom either way according to Mason.

In the locker rooms, Tyler placed his helmet on the bench and opened his locker, grabbing his towel to wipe the sweat of his face.

"Jeremy is coming tomorrow night," Matt said, taking off his clothes for a shower.

Tyler's mouth dropped open in utter surprise. He turned to the blonde who was taking off his uniform pants. "He got better?"

"Don't know. Jeremy told me this morning he was feeling a bit better. No clue whether he'll be back to himself in time. I told him he shouldn't come if he didn't feel better but he was stubborn. He even promised me he'd be there."

Tyler frowned as he began to take off his clothes for his own shower. As they headed for the showers, a question suddenly appeared in Tyler's mind. A question he was afraid to even know the answer to and made his blood start to boil in fury in just thinking about it. He decided to wait until they left.

The dark haired teen went back and forth, debating on whether he should even ask or not as they headed towards the parking lot. Tyler technically had never smelled Jeremy on Matt or vice versa in a way that would indicate such a level of intimacy since they got together as a couple, but he knew he needed to be sure or the doubt would torment him.

"Matt can I ask you something?" he finally started, not realizing Matt had been in the middle of a conversation until the blonde stopped talking.

"Yeah, sure," he said, seeming to shrug off the interruption.

"It's a little personal but I'm just curious." He indicated for a walk away from prying eyes.

"Okay…"

"Have you and Jeremy…?"

He couldn't bring himself to say the entire question aloud. Maybe Jeremy wasn't a virgin? That thought made his blood pressure rise and his chest feel tight at the same time. That anybody might have done with Jeremy what he wanted to do was close to unbearable; the aching pain in his chest too much. It made him hope that Matt had never slept with Jeremy, seeing them kiss after he had been so close to Jeremy was hard enough and he didn't want to lose his best friend. The pull of the mating bond was already bad enough but even as a 17 year old Jeremy was already so damn beautiful Tyler was sometimes asking himself whether he really wouldn't have wanted to screw with Jeremy if he had never triggered the curse. He really, really hoped that the two didn't have sex, he didn't know what he might do if it were so.

Matt still hadn't answered when they came to a stop in the parking lot. Tyler glanced over at Matt who was staring straight ahead.

"No," he replied. "We haven't. I want him to set things with that when he feels ready."

The wolf growled at hearing that Matt wanted to touch his mate in an intimate way. Tyler was furious too, but mostly relieved that Jeremy was still a virgin…as far as he knew.

"…Cool."

That's when the familiar stomach pains decided to come by to pay him another visit. Tyler flinched hard.

"You okay?" Matt asked, reaching over to him in concern.

"Perfect. I'll text you later, I promised to help my mother out with something," he lied quickly before giving him a short wave and heading to his car, ignoring as Matt called to him.

When he arrived behind the wheel, he threw his bags in the back seat before calling Mason. It rang a couple of times before it headed to voicemail. Tyler cursed under his breath and ended the call. He needed to know if there was any raw meat in the house. He called again but he got the same result. He growled in frustration and decided to call the house, his mother picking up on the forth ring.

"Hello, hon. Did you just get out of school?"

"Yeah. Hey, mom, can you please do me a favor and see if there's any steak in the fridge?"

There was a pause on the other end. "Um, sure...one moment."

"Thanks."

He gripped the steering wheel hard when another round of stomach pains appeared. They didn't last long but they hurt like hell…a little more now than it did when it started.

He heard the sound of the fridge opening and some rumbling around. "Yeah I guess your uncle brought some this afternoon. Why did you ask? Were you in the mood for some? Dinner is almost ready; I made some spaghetti with meat balls and salad. You could have told me this morning…"

"No, don't worry spaghetti sounds awesome. I'll be there soon. Thanks, mom, I love you."

He hung up and turned on the car, almost risking a speeding ticket as he headed home.

He parked his car into the driveway and got out, quickly getting his bags. He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead as he opened the door and went inside, heading straight to the kitchen. He saw his mother working at the stove and she turned when he heard him come in.

"Hey, baby, how was your day? Your uncle is working as one of the town's game warden, can you believe that?" she asked, smiling.

"Good," he said, going over to the fridge and getting out a coke. He glanced over, waiting for the moment to grab the packets of meat and put it inside one of his empty gym bag pockets on the side. "How about yours? And since when did he have a job here?"

She turned back around. "Amazing! I went to the spa this morning since your father insisted for me to spend my day off while he went to another meeting. As for Mason, your father told me that he told him yesterday. He's working as we speak."

He quickly hid the meat inside the pocket. "Good for him. Guess that means he'll be around longer."

"Probably," she paused and turned around to tease. "Do I look twenty one again?"

He bit his lip. Grey roots were already poking out from under her box brown colored hair. Under her make up, he could still see there were bags under her eyes while her eyes looked a little bloodshot, showing how tired she was. Ever since her heart attack – the one he caused his guilty conscience reminded him - she gained a couple of years in older appearance and lost some weight. It was still hard for her to gain it back but at least she was trying to eat again and that's what counted to him and the doctors.

"I think you look beautiful mom. You always have been."

She was surprised by this for a moment then she smiled, turning around to try to hide the trembling of her lower lip. "You should go upstairs and get ready for dinner. You can leave your bag and I'll place it in the washer for you."

"You sure? It's a little heavy cause of the helmet."

She waved it off, not turning to look at him but with a smile still on her face. "Just leave it, honey."

Tyler hid his packets behind him and placed his gym bag on the ground, shutting the fridge and carrying his stuff quietly out of the room and upstairs.

"I love you so much," he heard her whisper. "So much."

_Don't you dare cry, Lockwood_, he thought to himself as he closed his bedroom door behind him.

* * *

><p>After finishing the conversation with his mother, Jeremy decided to sketch outside in the backyard to get some fresh air. At first he laid down in the soft grass as he stared up at the clear blue sky of the time when summer was slowly merging into fall so he could get some inspiration on what to draw. He noticed some leaves on the trees were already reflecting the upcoming autumn with their hints of orange. Everything smelled so amazing in Mystic Falls to Jeremy; very different from the disgusting city smells of car exhaust fumes and the smell of sweet, salty air from the beach. Everything smelled so fresh and natural, giving him a remarkable serenity that seemed to flow straight into his soul.<p>

Suddenly, an idea came up. It wasn't what he hoped for but for some reason it had…or should he say, _he_ had? Tyler had floated into his mind so effortlessly that it almost scared Jeremy. Almost.

Jeremy sighed deeply and shook him out of his head, rubbing his eyes. He got up, determined not to let Lockwood ruin his peaceful moment. He picked up his newly sharpened pencil and sketch book next to him and opened it to a clean page. He began to draw. What it was even he did not know; it was like another being had taken over his mind and was drawing for him. Little by little, lines formed shapes and shades were made accordingly. He wouldn't stop to look until he was done with the last detail.

Moments later, Jeremy stopped and fully looked at what he made. He frowned, not understanding what he even drew; two down triangles - one upside down - touched at the top, while in between lay a rectangle, all seeming to be laying on top of a circle.

_What does it mean? Why did I even draw this? _His cellphone broke him out of his thoughts as it rang in his pocket. He placed his stuff down on his lap and took out his cell. He sighed and rolled his eyes when he saw it was Kyle. He watched it ring until the screen changed that he had one missed call.

Jeremy gave his work one last look before he decided to just give the idiot a call back. He reminded himself he was human and could make mistakes like everyone else. _Mistakes…_

"Jeremy!" Kyle yelled, relieved and overly happy. "Thank you for calling me back! I'm so fucking, fucking, fucking, really fucking, sorry, man! You're my bff for life and I don't wanna that to go away because of me!"

Jeremy couldn't help but smile at this. Same old Kyle. "You're forgiven."

"Anyway it wasn't like I missed your birthday or anything, right?"

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "_Moving on_, I'm glad you…called me. I admit I missed your loud mouthed ass."

"Haha. Missed you too man! How've you been? Anything new? Hot girlfriend I should know about?"

"Do you still have Skype on your laptop?"

"Sure, you wanna talk on there?"

"Yeah, I want to also take advantage that I have the house to myself for a while. Katherine is at school and Aunt Jenna went to town for a dentist appointment."

"Alright, I'll see you a moment," he paused and added with a chuckle, "Literally."

Jeremy rolled his eyes again. "Bye."

Inside his room, he flipped open his computer screen and pressed the button to start it up while he rolled around in his desk drawer, looking down at the strange sketch. Jeremy was pretty sure Katherine would know what this image meant. He was also pretty sure it had something to do with werewolves, specifically Tyler. At least it would fit, unless another monster would turn up.

He glanced over at the screen and typed in his password. He flipped his sketch book shut and placed it inside one of the desk drawers. His computer had booted up the home screen and he leaned over and clicked on the Skype program. He then signed in and saw Kyle was already on in his 'online contacts' side bar. Immediately his best friend call requested him.

Jeremy clicked to accept his call and the window filled his screen with Kyle in his bedroom, smiling practically like a psycho.

"Spill!" he demanded, eager to hear the gossip.

Jeremy shook his head in disbelief before he began. "Well I will start off with a big confession. I need you to be 100% serious now and listen. And I don't want to hear any sarcastic comments, got it?"

Kyle raised his hands in mock defense and made a zipping motion over his lips. Jeremy lowered his gaze down to the keyboard, not wanting to look at Kyle in the eye through the monitor. "I'm gay."

A long, silence filled the room. Kyle didn't say a word and for a moment, Jeremy thought his friend had left the chat room.

But he was still as Jeremy lifted his gaze to check. What he didn't expect was for Kyle to have a sympathetic smile on his face.

"I know," he said.

Jeremy's mouth dropped open in shock. "What…?"

"Well no offense, man, but you were pretty obvious," he explained. "Every time we went to the beach, all you could practically do was staring at guys. The biggest hint of them all was that girls came up to you, flirting and asking you out while you pretty much rejected them all. Sometimes I wondered whether you even noticed them."

Jeremy was surprised he didn't sound uncomfortable. "You're not angry or disgusted?"

It was his turn to glance away. "Since we're at it...I confess I'm gay too."

Jeremy felt the heat rising in his face, anger ready to spill off the tip of his tongue, thinking his friend was just mocking him. But then time went by and the blonde didn't even break into a grin.

Kyle returned his gaze on him, his cheeks turning red. "It's true. I've never looked at other guys before because…you were always my interest."

_Another one? When will it end?_

Jeremy slumped against his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Kyle, I'm not mad or anything that you have a crush on me but…I'm not exactly available right now."

"You're not?"

Hints of disappointment and surprise reflected in his voice.

"No, I'm sorry. I have a boyfriend. I hope…we can still be bffs."

Jeremy added some humor at the end, hoping to ease the tension of the sudden situation. And, thankfully, it worked. He heard Kyle chuckle.

"Hey, it's alright. I didn't expect for you to return the feelings. One day I hope I can be as lucky as you and get a love bird of my own. Who's the guy?" he asked, reaching across and grabbing a bag of Chester's hot Cheeto fries.

Jeremy's face reddened in embarrassment. "Believe it or not he's a jock."

Kyle chocked on a fry at this, reaching over again to open a bottle of water and gulping half it down. Jeremy watched in amusement.

"Jock?" he gasped out. "As in football?"

"Pretty much."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! I thought you hated them more than I do!"

"I still do but Matt is incredibly different than the ones we know."

Kyle grabbed a couple of fries and chewed on them thoughtfully as he stared at Jeremy, almost as if he was trying to read his mind. "Well, 'damn' is all I can say. So his name is Matt, huh?"

"Yeah, Matt Donovan. He's a defender."

"Nice. Is he a senior? Where did you meet?"

"Yup, he's a senior and we met at a restaurant they have here in town called 'The Grill'. Katherine took me and that's where I saw him for the first time. He didn't seem like the gay guy type. Katherine showed me a picture of him before I saw him in real life but she never told me he was even suspected as homosexual. One day he just confessed and asked me to be his boyfriend."

"Wow," he drawled the word out in wonder. "Dude you must be a Mr. Universe to get a straight _jock_ to turn gay for you!"

Jeremy sighed, licking his drying lips. "Here's where things get a little complicated."

"Uh oh. Is he having doubts about his sexuality?"

Jeremy chuckled. "Not that I know of." He turned serious again and leaned forward against the desk. "I don't love him back, Kyle. I've been with him for a couple of weeks now and I just don't feel a spark of attraction. I just see him as a brother."

"A hot ass brother I imagine."

He glared at him. Kyle raised his hands in defense again.

"Then why did you agree to be with him? I mean I bet you guys kiss and have sex, right?"

Jeremy's face turned red. "We are not having sex! We only kiss and hold hands!"

"In public?"

"Yeah. As for why I agreed…I don't know. I feel bad about lying to him every time I tell him I love him. You have no idea what a great, caring guy he is."

"Well, technically dating in high school isn't exactly love. It's all about sex and attraction. Plus you said that you two have only been going on for a few weeks so it probably just takes time."

"But some of us can actually mature by the time we reach high school."

"Ouch, but okay. So do you have a picture of him you can show me?"

Jeremy thought. "A few on my phone but I don't know if you'll see it clearly."

"Let's see it."

Jeremy reached into his pocket and took out his cellphone. He saw it was almost four; Katherine should have been home a while ago and Matt was probably still at practice or going to work by now. He searched through his pictures and came upon one that Matt took of himself so 'he could miss him when he was away'. Strangely the blonde could be cocky at times.

"Can you see him?" he asked as he brought the cellphone screen close to the screen.

Kyle leaned closer to the screen and stared for a moment. "Definitely hot."

Jeremy pulled his phone away when the blonde leaned back into his chair. "The story doesn't stop there."

"No, it never does, does it?"

He then told Kyle about Tyler, leaving the werewolf part out and telling him everything that's happened, even about the picture he drew and him getting sick.

"So this guy likes you too?"

He snorted. "Like is an understatement. He wants to get into my pants."

"Matt does too, I'm sure. There's no such thing as an innocent guy unless he's seven years old. So, who do you think is hotter in your opinion?"

"That's not the point…"

"Just answer the question, please."

Jeremy rolled his eyes, mumbling, "Tyler, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Fuck you."

"Okay so you think Tyler is hotter and the guy likes you. Why didn't you go with him in the first place?"

"He's…not my type."

"Why?"

"Because!"

"Because why?"

Jeremy pointed a finger at him in warning. "I can quit this at any time."

"No you won't because you have no one else to talk to besides Katherine," Kyle said, crossing his arms over his chest with a confident smirk.

_Damn him. _Jeremy lowered his finger and glared down at his jeans. "He's dangerous, okay?"

"So he's a bad boy, so what? Now that you're Mr. Jock tamer, you can bring him down to whatever level you want. Maybe even get him to go into art."

"Tyler's not like Matt, Kyle. Tyler just…wants me for sex. He may not be the captain of the football team but Katherine told me he was a popular guy and very cocky because he is the mayor's son. He's total old money!"

"Still, how do you know he only wants you for sex?"

"I just know."

Jeremy looked up to see Kyle sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration at his curt answers. "I suppose you've talked to him about this then?"

"No. I don't like to talk to him."

Kyle gave me a disapproving look. "You're just judging him then. You should know that this is not fair."

He closed his eyes. _You wouldn't understand. Nobody does. _

A moment of silence fell into the room again and Jeremy jerked in surprise when the front door opened.

"Jeremy?" Katherine called.

"Is she hot?" Kyle asked, excited.

Jeremy frowned at him. "Weren't you gay?"

"Maybe I could be bi."

"Bisexuality means you're insecure about being gay."

"Okay, Dr. Jock Tamer. Thanks for educating me on that. I bet your mother doesn't know a single thing you told me on here."

Katherine's footsteps came up the stairs and to his door. "Hey, you in here?"

"Gotta go. I'll text you later," Jeremy whispered, logging off Skype before Kyle could respond. "Yeah, I'm here. Come in if you want."

Jeremy quickly got into the internet. Katherine opened the door and stepped inside, looking over at him. "Jenna's not home?"

"Dentist appointment. Should be home soon."

She nodded. "She told yesterday a tooth was hurting."

"Oh."

They stared at each other for a moment, deciding on what to say next.

"So what cha doing?" she asked curiously as she came over and looked at the computer screen.

"Got bored and decided to…"

He stopped and glanced down at the closed drawer. Katherine glanced down at him, wondering why he stopped in mid-sentence. He reached over and pulled open the drawer, grabbing his sketch book.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He flipped to the page and showed it to her. "Do you know what this is?"

She stared down at the page and looked at him. "May I?"

He nodded and handed it to her. He watched her expression as she studied the image. A confused frown appeared on her face.

"Why did you draw this?"

"What is it?"

She looked down at it again, a finger tapping on the image in thought. "If I remember the book correctly, this is a west African symbol called Adinkra. The name for this particular one is Mmere Dane, translates into 'time changes' in English. This symbol means change due to life's dynamics. Did you draw this from the internet or something?"

"No. Believe it or not, I was outside when I drew it without even knowing what I was drawing."

"Is that even possible?"

"You tell me."

* * *

><p>Katherine didn't know what to think. She had asked Jeremy if he had seen any type of book he read about similar symbols in Africa or Europe back in Florida but he had said no. The average human didn't just draw things at random unless they've read or seen about them somewhere. She referred back to her spell book for clues about this before going to bed but nothing came up. For now she'll just have to say this was a hallucination, another symptom added into the situation.<p>

_Symbol of change due to life's dynamics. Sounds awfully like it has to do with Tyler and his' situation._

Jeremy could be lying to her for all she knew but she had bigger things to worry about.

* * *

><p>4:00 am; Tyler was lifting two hundred pounds of weight in the exercising room upstairs while trying to be quiet about it. He couldn't sleep to save his life. For three hours since midnight he had been trying to get sleep for the football game the next day—well, the current day actually —and the hyperactivity was not helping in the least. He took two sleeping pills but that didn't work for shit. For about an hour he had been doing chin ups, pushups and sit ups. Now he was lifting two hundred pound weights on his back, drops of sweat pooling on his abs in the warm air.<p>

_245…246…247…_

Even being a werewolf, Tyler had learned tonight, had its limits but he pushed past them as his muscles practically screamed for him to stop but he kept on going. He distracted himself from the pain with one person on his mind: Jeremy Gilbert; the one human that has been in his dreams almost every night.

_258…259…300…_

_Tyler reached out and touched Jeremy's face, running his thumb over the plumb little bottom lip before leaning forward and capturing it, biting down on it until he tasted his mate's blood against his tongue. Jeremy moaning as he pulled him closer and began to kiss and suck down the side of his neck, the adrenaline shooting up his system in knowing he would finally mark Jeremy rightfully his forever. _

_315…316…317…_

He placed the weight back on the railing for a break, his body throbbing with exhaustion, which was what he wanted, but also with pleasure at his selfish fantasy, feeling the familiar tightening in his groin.

_"Touch me," Jeremy whispered as he grabbed his hand and pressed it against his zipper. Tyler looked into his eyes as he slowly pulled down the zipper. Jeremy leaned forward and kissed him when he pushed his hand inside the opening. The younger boy gasped in his mouth when…_

"Tyler…shit!"

Tyler's eyes snapped open. He hadn't heard the door open and now Mason had seen him touching himself on the weight bench. He quickly withdrew his hand from his shorts and sat up. Mason had his back turned against the door, waiting for Tyler to compose himself.

"That's what you get for not knocking," Tyler panted out; a little annoyed at being interrupted at his moment.

Mason turned around, surprisingly looking at him in the eye. "Whatever, I've seen worse."

"Good to know. What do you want?"

"I heard noises coming from in here. I smelled you so I came to see why you're exercising so early."

"The hyperactivity started during practice yesterday and now I can't sleep because of it. I admit I'm a little nervous; who knows if this thing shuts off suddenly or not. I don't want that type of thing happening to me during the game."

He watched as Mason turned grim, frowning in thought. "It's almost half past four right now so how about we do it like this? Shower, and then try to go to sleep. If you still can't, I'll tell your parents you're not feeling well enough to go to school. Hopefully you'll catch some sleep during the day so you can be ready for the game. You said it's at 7:00 pm, right?"

"We go out into the field to warm up first. They give us like fifteen minutes or so."

"Then you in with my plan?"

"Yeah, I'm in. By the way, thanks for buying me the meat today. I had my daily craving so I appreciate you helping me. I'll give you money later for more."

He shook his head. "It's not a burden helping my only nephew out. I wouldn't have minded if I was in your shoes."

Mason turned and was about to leave when he paused at the door. "By the way, you might want to do something about that."

With that he left, his soft chuckle trailing off down the hallway.

Tyler frowned, confused by what the older man meant then realized it. He looked down at his waiting boner. _Man, that's awkward._

* * *

><p>Jeremy woke up from a dead sleep. <em>Fuck. <em>He quickly threw the sheets off and ran to the bathroom, just in time before he threw up his nightly bowl of cereal. His stomach was empty in less than a minute and he reached up blindly to flush down the contents. His stomach was still tight in warning of another upheaval. Jeremy was disappointed but at the same time upset that this scenario had to start again. All day nothing had gone wrong. He had hoped that the stomach flu like symptoms would be gone. But then…maybe it wasn't the stomach flu. He had eaten dinner with ease and no aftermath when Jenna brought in some grilled chicken and mash potatoes after her appointment. It had to be something else.

His thoughts were momentarily gone from his mind as he began to gag more air and gale into the bowl. After a few minutes went by before he was able to relax on the floor.

Jeremy moved back until his back touched the wall, letting the coolness ease his warm skin and tense muscles. He looked at the bowl in the darkness, thinking of possible ideas for his randomly upset stomach.

There was the idea that maybe the chicken or the mash potatoes had something wrong with them but then, as far as he knew, neither Katherine nor Jenna had gotten sick. He should probably go to the doctor on the weekend; he didn't want to miss more school. He'll eat oatmeal every morning if he had to.

He ended up falling asleep on the floor; he was just too damn tried to move.

* * *

><p>5:00 am. Tyler had not been able to get even a minute of sleep, to a huge part because he hadn't dared to relieve himself of the tension in his groin.<p>

Despite everything he had already tried, the idea of having sex with Jeremy, to even jack off because of him was still utterly alien to Tyler. It really was not like he wasn't horny for the boy or anything but so far he hadn't dared to think any further than that. Despite thinking of screwing Jeremy he had never really visualized it, not in detail and outside of his dreams that was.

From the moment he'd become aware of sexual attraction, he'd always wanted girls. He'd never found guys sexually attractive. Yet, he had wanted to jump Jeremy the moment he had gotten a good sniff of him. Was his wolf really everything that there was to it? Could Tyler be straight and his wolf gay? Tyler wasn't stupid he sorta knew what two guys could do together, but he'd never actually seen guys having sex. Well, he had to admit that this wasn't out of disgust; he'd simply never given it much thought since it wasn't his thing. Now, as much as he didn't want to think about it, images of a naked Jeremy writhing in pleasure underneath him refused to leave Tyler's brain.

He decided that it was time to take the bull by the horns, so to say. He left his bed and went over to his desk and opened his laptop, turning it on. While waiting for the computer to boot Tyler was stripping off his clothes. When ready Tyler sat down and opened the appropriate folder on his laptop. His gaze swept over the two folders which each contained several videos he had downloaded over the months. So far he had been too scared to test the theory but after his reaction to Matt's statement, he just had to know.

On impulse, he clicked on the folder containing the older material he was more familiar with and gazed at various video-files. For long moments he stared at them, not moving a single muscle. Taking a deep breath, he chose one he knew had always affected him and started the video.

Hot young women filled the screen. All naked and kissing and sucking each other's tits. Tyler knew that they weren't lesbians but it had always worked for him. He had always loved when those women had given the men blowjobs; it was so hot to imagine that he was at the receiving end. Ten minutes into the video, he felt absolutely no movement in his jeans. One woman, a redhead with a spill of russet curls – he loved redheads - was sucking the cock of a really hung man –which Tyler had always imagined to be him - while another woman licked her pussy and squeezed her breasts. The scene had always totally turned Tyler on. And her tits were just spectacular, full and round, the pale pink nipples taut and straining, but Tyler's dick didn't move at all, Tyler didn't feel anything.

With a groan, he found himself reaching inside his pants, searching for his cock. He was still not really believing it, but there it was, limp like a dead fish from just ten minutes into the video. The question of whether he was still into girls seemed to have been answered.

But now that Jeremy was his mate, did he find all guys attractive? His hand was shaking but the nagging sense that he needed to find out made him leave the straight porn folder and clicking on the gay-porn one, containing the newer videos he had purchased over the last weeks. He had decided to search through sites that locked like they provided high quality videos. He still remembered the straight videos from the past which had turned out to show 'sex' which was actually only staging and had barely any resemblance to the real thing. Too bad that he had no idea now what was real and what not so he guessed the more sophisticated sites and videos where probably the best.

After the obligatory intro screen the video showed two men probably in their early to mid-twenties. One was obviously Latino and the other white albeit with a nice olive to light brown tan. Both were muscled, but had bodies of a more softer type and Tyler guessed that the white guy, the smaller of the two, probably had looked pretty boyish before he had gained his muscles. He had a lot of them and for Tyler that was unusual for such a small guy. Tyler watched intently as they touched and kissed each other, the smaller on top of the bigger one. A few minutes into the film, the smaller guy began to suck the cock of the Latino. Then they took off their clothes completely – the smaller really had a very muscular body and a round ass Tyler wished he had and they were shaved (should Tyler shave his balls as well?) - shifted to a sixty-nine. Minutes after that, the Latino was licking the ass of the white guy and then gently coated it with lube. Tyler stared at the screen as the men engaged in anal sex. With a sigh, he realized nothing had changed. He was still the Tyler he had always been. The men didn't arouse him at all.

He eyed the screen wondering if that was how he would look with Jeremy. As the men continued to fuck and moan Tyler thought about how he and Jeremy must look together. As he watched the Latino grabbing the white guy's hips and pounding into him, noting the man's determined look on his face with every fuck, he wondered if he would look like that while fucking Jeremy's ass. His groin filled with heat again. The camera shifted to show the fucking couple up close and Tyler's eyes were riveted by the shot of the Latino's cock moving in and out of the generously lubed ass of the other man. Gods! He and Jeremy would look like that!

Tyler's cock stirred as he imagined the fucking couple as himself and Jeremy. Now, his wolf howled with lust, wanting Jeremy as much as Tyler did. This time he gripped his cock and thought about how he felt being with Jeremy. The men on the screen moaned and fucked (now doing the reverse cow girl), but Tyler's head was filled with visions of himself touching Jeremy, of Jeremy touching him, of how excited he would be to suck Jeremy's cock, to fuck his ass…

Tyler turned off the video and closed his eyes, his hand stroking his stiff erection, the erection he had gotten from thinking about Jeremy. It was clear to him now. He was and was not the same guy he had always been. He was neither attracted to women nor to men…only to Jeremy. Other people held no interest for him anymore. He finally acknowledged what was growing in his heart.

Now the question was, was he only horny as hell for Jeremy, or would it actually happen for him to fall in love?

That question in his head in rose from the chair and went to bed. Still naked he wrapped himself in his blanket and closed his eyes. He was asleep within minutes.

* * *

><p>Note: Oh la la! ;D Don't forget to leave your thoughts!<p> 


	32. Of Games and Hugs

First Time for Everything

Chapter 32

Note: Thank you to Simba for all his enormous help he gives me and I apologize for still mixing the first and third perspective, I'll keep working on it (lol) and thank you again for telling me that you feel I'm improving! :D

Thank you to you guys for sticking with me and all your compliments; I hope I will continue to work on fanfiction for years to come :) Since it seems Caroline will be killed off by her father, Tyler will be left alone and I know we're all hoping to who he goes to next lolol jk I know Caroline won' t be killed off.

Netha: No problem! Thank you for taking the time to tell me how the story's doing! :) Thankies! Hehe I'm glad it's working out for you! I speak Spanish but I don't know if the language is spelled similarly. Just sayin' if you get tired of using the translator one day :P

* * *

><p>Jeremy quickly showered, letting the cold spray flow over his body to help him relax. He wanted to go to Matt's game. Maybe he couldn't be the boyfriend he wanted to be, but he still wanted to support him like a friend would. When he had dried off, dressed, and combed his hair, he went downstairs to see Katherine as happy as a bee, buzzing around the kitchen, with Jenna nowhere in sight.<p>

"Good morning, Jer! How are you?" she asked, wiping her hands on a cloth next to the sink.

"Good morning, I'm feeling awesome," he said with a half forced smile upon his face.

He wasn't completely lying. He wasn't feeling horrible like the night before but he didn't know what would happen if he ate again. If Jenna and Katherine saw him puke, they would know he was still sick and would deny him the game. Sneaking out wouldn't be a first time but he didn't want to hide the whole game under the bleachers.

"Good morning!"

Jenna came in the kitchen wearing her pajamas, smiling, and hugged them good morning. When she let go of Katherine she turned to him and sighed. "Okay so I will tell you that your mother has been calling me secretly almost every morning."

His rolled his eyes, not surprised. "What for?"

"To ask about you. She knows you might not be telling her everything that's going on. But don't worry, I didn't tell her about Matt or that you've been sick these last few days."

"Thanks. Anyway, I'm not sick anymore."

"Either way, you still were. Now sit down."

Jeremy sat down while he eyed the girls working. "Want some help?"

"We've got it, thanks though. So are you sure you're feeling good enough to go?" Katherine asked.

"Well, the game is not until tonight so we can see until then," Jenna replied before he did.

He frowned at them. "I'm fine! I'm going to school today too!"

"We'll see," they both said in unison.

_Oh god. _

When breakfast was served, Jeremy stared down at his plate while everyone else sat down to eat.

_Please don't let me puke it up. _

"You coming to the game with us, Aunt Jenna?" he heard Katherine ask.

Jeremy took a bite off toast and looked up at Jenna to see her think about it doubtfully. "I don't know. Sports have never been my thing ever in town. Anyway it's not like I have a reason to go like you two do."

"Mason is going," Katherine said, winking at her knowingly.

Jenna blushed – Jeremy guessed it was embarrassment - and moved a finger in a quick 'no-no-no-no' motion. "Friend."

"A really hot friend and you never know what might happen. He could like you Jenna and you don't even give him a chance!"

"He never said anything before!" she protested.

"And now we know why!"

"He doesn't call me because he's busy! I can't just call him and tell him to go to the football game!"

"Why not?" he suddenly asked without thought. Two pairs of surprised eyes turned upon him.

Katherine grinned at him, grateful for the support.

Jenna took a bite of her breakfast as she frowned, frustrated her niece and nephew were pressuring her into doing something.

"Please Jenna. Love is so amazing and you're wasting your days just staying here at home, watching T.V. and cooking for us. Call him and ask!"

Jenna started doubtfully at Katherine, biting her lip and gazing down at the oak colored table.

Jeremy, on the other hand was almost moved by the happiness in his cousin's voice. He knew she had been thinking of Stefan and how his presence around her affected her, making her feel things she probably thought never existed. It crossed his mind that he sounded like a girl now.

"Alright. But can I call _after _I'm done eating?"

Moments later, she got up and walked silently to the living room, coming back with her cell phone in hand and showing it to them in a 'See? I'm going to do it. Happy?' motion.

Jenna sat back down, showing she could even do it in front of them.

"We have to get going, but we'll be back for the details," Katherine said, giving her a last wink before getting up. Jeremy gave his aunt a gentle encouraging squeeze on the shoulder before he followed Katherine, placing the dirty dishes in the sink before going upstairs.

Jeremy stepped into his room and saw his phone was ringing on the nightstand. He answered it while he unplugged it from the charger.

"Hey, Matt. I'll be ready when you get here. Honk as usual."

"Alright. I'll be there in five. Love you."

"Love you too."

* * *

><p>Jenna watched as Jeremy and Katherine left the kitchen, heading upstairs for their things before their rides arrived. Few rings later, she heard Mason's usual soft voice greet her. Jenna had always thought Mason Lockwood was good-looking. Who wouldn't? Any other woman in her place would have cast the line and waited whether the fish took the bait the first day she meet him but Jenna knew she wasn't like that. But she had never gotten the courage to try anything in that direction even as time went by and they got to know each other better. Since he'd never made a move in that direction either, she guessed he only looked at her as a friend, maybe even a little sister. Scratch that, the last thought was bullshit. They had rather been friends with benefits; heck she even knew of the little beauty spots on his left buttock. But here she was now, hoping not to make a fool of herself and end up man less…like she had been so often even in her teen years.<p>

"Hey, Jen! What a surprise to see your call this morning!"

"Hey, Mase. It's Jenna—oh duh, you just said my name. Stupid—sorry. I'm still asleep, it seems," she said, slapping her forehead lightly, her face hot in embarrassment.

She heard him laugh heartedly, making her heart skip a beat with excitement. "That's fine. I am too. I'm actually at work right now. Sorry for not calling to tell you about that. I'm the town's second chief Game warden now. I just started yesterday and, I have to admit, I really love it."

"Oh! I'm sorry; I should call you some other time then…"

"No, it's fine. I'm not really doing anything right now. I'm at the office doing some paper work. The real movement doesn't start until October 2nd when the deer hunting season starts."

"That's awful! I don't see what the fun is in shooting defenseless animals!"

"Well they need to buy a license, but they need to have a permit too. The license is the expensive part plus they have to pay fees for renewing it every two years and if they're bringing teenagers or children under the age of sixteen."

"Wait so they can even bring children? Children, as in, six year olds?"

"They can if they're older than two."

"Those men shouldn't be fathers! How can the mother's even permit to let their children go through…ok…," she trailed off and took a deep breath, letting it out to calm herself. She heard Mason chuckle.

"Don't get overworked, Jen. Let it be on their conscious. Changing the subject, what do I owe your call to?"

"My niece and nephew," she mumbled and then sighed. "I mean not that I didn't want to call you! I was…ok so I'm just going to come out and say it. I called because I wanted to ask if you were available tonight."

There was a pause on the other end. "Did you want to hang out somewhere?"

"Yeah, um, you don't have to. I know now that you're working and you'll probably out there late, right?"

"No, actually. I planned on getting off at four so I can have time to go back home and get ready to go see Tyler's game tonight. Do…you want to go with me?"

_Oh thank god! _She was relived he had been the one to ask her instead.

"That'd be great. Jeremy and Katherine were going too tonight and they wanted me to get out of the house."

"So it's settled them. I'll pick you up at six thirty, is that alright?"

Her face got hot again and she suddenly heard cars honking outside. Seconds later, footsteps were coming down the stairs and goodbyes were called. One of them being Jeremy's, she was glad that her nephew was feeling better.

"That'll be fine," she answered when she heard the door close. She stood up and walked out of the kitchen. She looked from one of the side windows next to the door to see two cars driving away. For a moment she forgot about Mason as she remembered Matt. She didn't know whether Jeremy had someone else in his heart or was just way too nice to tell people the truth. She felt sympathy for Matt; thinking she wouldn't want to be in a relationship like that, not after she had been in several of that kind. There was no doubt Jeremy cared for Matt but what he was doing just wasn't right.

"Jenna? You still alive over there?" Mason teased.

"Sorry, I was just making sure the guys left safely. You were saying?"

* * *

><p>Steven opened the door and stepped inside the school building. He searched carefully at every student in sight for the person he wanted to see. When he didn't see her, he leaned against a locker and took out his cell phone, pretending to be looking at his texts as he used his vampire hearing to search for <em>her<em>; the last piece of the puzzle he needed. After a few minutes of orientation through the noise he was finally able to filter out the useless cacophony and found that one annoying sound.

He placed his cell back into his pocket as he headed in her direction. He nodded at the existence of some of his 'friends' as he walked down the hall, heading for the chemistry room. Before he even arrived, her loud, obnoxious laugh overflowed the entire hallway, not really needing his vampire hearing to confirm her location.

He stepped inside the classroom and spotted her immediately, talking to her crowd of equally obnoxious wanna be clones. _Stupid humans. _

He walked up to them and Caroline Forbes paused in her migraine-provoking conversation when she spotted him. All the other girls did too.

He just stared at her calmly, ignoring everyone else.

Caroline looked like she was ready to faint in joy. He had not said a word to her after their break up at the end of freshman year. The dumb blonde would always worship the ground he walked on, even after the humiliation of dumping her the last day of school. Well that was Caroline, always hiding behind smiles and forgetting even the greatest humiliations after short periods of time. Steven guessed that she would probably break down one day and that would not be a pretty sight. The girl had been a great fuck, no doubt about that, but someone like her got him bored pretty quickly.

He was satisfied to know that she still remembered what he meant by his silent approach. She quickly told everyone to leave, not even bothering to give them a glance as she continued to stare at him with lust filled eyes.

She waited until everyone was out of sight before she talked first. "What did you want to talk about?"

Steven could hear the annoying bitches eavesdropping outside the door so he pulled a seat from the table across his ex's and sat down across from her, leaning on his elbows and suddenly breaking out into his charming smirk.

"Carol, I must admit I miss you," he whispered fully consciously using the nickname he had given her.

She smiled widely. "You did? I missed you too, baby. I knew you'd come back for me. We were so meant to be together!" Like always she was nearly bobbling with excitement.

Steven had to force himself to keep up the façade and not roll his eyes at her behavior. She really was the stereotype through, either that or she was damn good at playing the part.

"Shh," he said lowly, glancing in the direction of the door. She followed his gaze and then realized what he meant. She nodded, smiling apologetically.

"I need you to do something for me, Carol."

"Anything. Just name it."

He suddenly leaned forward and kissed her; long and deep. He pulled away and she sucked in a rugged breath.

"Oh," she said, like she summarized the whole kiss.

"Now, do you remember Tyler Lockwood?"

After his painful encounter and the listless kiss, his now little oblivious employee had told him that Lockwood's birthday would be next Thursday. Being a weekday, she was certain the celebration would be that Saturday to get a big crowd. When the wheels turned in his head, he looked down at his watch to find he only had three minutes before school started. It had taken him more time to get away from Caroline than he had anticipated. He would have to talk to Daniel after school.

_We have plenty of time,_ and called Elijah.

"I don't remember the last time I said this to anyone but…thank you. It's coming to play out perfectly and I just found the icing for the cake."

* * *

><p>Elijah hung up and stared down at the unconscious body in his arms.<p>

"Does he suspect?" his brother asked.

"Not even if it killed him again."

"Pity such has to go to waste soon."

Elijah knew his brother wasn't referring to their most recent victims.

"No one said we had to play fair."

He could feel his older brother's intense gaze on him as he stared down at the female in his arms.

"I still don't see why you can't just…"

"It is not wise to draw such unwanted attention upon ourselves, brother. After living for more than a millennium, you, out of everyone else, should have the logic to agree with me on this."

There was a moment's pause before he said, "Do what you wish."

Elijah heard the retreating footsteps of his brother as he left the woods. For a moment the random thought came into his mind that his brother always chose females as his victims, and usually those that were close to being skinny. That was weird in his eyes since they had barely any blood. He shrugged at it. Maybe he was afraid of cholesterol.

* * *

><p>Tyler was washing dishes in the kitchen, only three hours before the game. He should be getting ready or at least sitting down and resting before the strenuous activity. But he couldn't; his hyperactivity was making him restless, almost like if it was covering his eyes and was unable to see anything else. He had to keep his hands occupied or he would end up going for another round of exercise before more exercise.<p>

"Tyler, what are you doing? Shouldn't you be getting ready?" his father's voice asked annoyed from the kitchen entrance.

Oh yeah, his father had decided to come to tonight's game, along with his mother and uncle. It was almost like a tradition since freshman year that the family went to his first game; though his father's reason was to see if his son wasn't slacking.

"I'm almost done with them," he answered calmly.

His father snorted, and changed the subject. "And when will you be getting your first progress report?"

"About mid-October."

"Are you getting As?"

"Yes, sir."

"Anyway, we have decided your mother won't be accompanying me anymore on any out of town business. She will be staying in town, at home, resting, unless we have an event planned out here in Mystic Falls. Your mother doesn't have the same strength she used to have before the incident."

Tyler finished scrubbing the last dish and placed it on the rack to dry. He turned off the faucet and dried his hands on a cloth before turning to his father, surprised and concerned. "Is she getting worse?"

"No, she just can't travel like she used to. When she returned from the hospital, you know how stubborn she was, insisting that she keep accompanying me on any sort of business outside of town like we did before. Your mother and I talked about it for a few days now and she finally agreed with me that she can't travel with me anymore. She will be helping me with paperwork at home and, like I said before, be there to host with me at events here in town. Your birthday celebration next week, for example."

_I wonder if mom was the one who told him. _

Tyler nodded, lowering his gaze to the floor as he leaned back against the sink, thinking about what his father said. His guilt and regret wiggled his way into his heart, making him feel like a criminal, almost like a murderer since the doctors had to bring her back to life in the emergency room. This was his fault in its entirety.

The silence was broken by the front door opening. Tyler looked up to see his uncle walk up to them seconds later, looking between him and his father.

"What's going on?" the older werewolf asked.

His father didn't comment and just walked away with one last glance at his son.

They both waited until his father went upstairs and entered his room, closing the door behind him.

"I heard what your father said outside. Don't worry about him or your mother right now. She'll have to stay home for now, but you'll see she'll get better soon."

Tyler didn't believe in the last part but just nodded. "I should go shower."

Tyler walked out of the kitchen and passed his uncle when he heard him suddenly say, "I'm taking Jenna tonight."

He paused. "To the game?"

"Yeah."

"So you two are dating now?"

"Just hanging out."

Tyler had to smirk at that. "Is that what your generation calls it?"

"Whatever. Just letting you know."

Tyler turned to him and eyed his uniform. "Why a Game warden?"

"I would say because you never know if we get out during full moon but I would be lying. I got into it because it was really the only job I thought was interesting in the entire town. Though right now there's nothing to really do until hunting seasons starts in October. So we'll be sure to be extra careful during the full moon. You never know, right?"

Tyler nodded, agreeing. "We still have some time before the next one."

Mason nodded and Tyler turned around to continue to the stairs when Mason interrupted again.

"You know he's coming, right?"

Tyler knew who he was referring too. Tyler paused again and nodded. "Why?"

"Just wondering. Just don't let that bother you or take away your concentration."

"Wow, my father has started to rub off on you, hasn't he?"

* * *

><p>Katherine drove them to the game half an hour before seven. Matt had texted he was getting ready with the team inside the locker room and would be outside to warm up before the action began.<p>

Jeremy had asked Katherine why she wanted to arrive so late to the game. Even Jenna had left earlier with Mason. He spotted them talking on the very top row of the next bleacher stand. Katherine decided to sit in a different one so they could talk comfortably. He saw the rows were practically full; some people now even had to sit on the grass or lean on the side of the bleachers.

"We won't find seats here, Kat," Jeremy yelled over the excitement of the fans as the cheerleaders got them pumped up.

She smirked at him but didn't comment back.

He followed her up the side steps on the bleachers and came to a stop on the very front row, next to a couple of teenage girls. The first two blonde girls looked over at Katherine, confused a little annoyed. Before they could make a snarky comment, Katherine interrupted.

"Move your asses over!"

The first blonde's mouth dropped open in surprise and shared a glance with her friend before glancing back at Katherine. "But we're full here!"

"Twinkie, does it look like I give a shit?"

He was 80% sure there would be a cat fight. But surprisingly, the girl signaled for all four of them to leave the bench. The two other girls left with them but not before they gave Katherine a dirty look. His cousin returned it back and watched them leave with a glare. When they were out of sight, Katherine winked down at him with a mischievous smirk.

"That'll teach them to flirt with my man."

_Of course that's what that had to be about._ Jeremy rolled his eyes and silently followed her to sit down.

Jeremy checked his watch and saw it was only twenty minutes before seven.

"They'll come out soon to warm up! I love some eye candy," she said with a smug expression on her face.

He placed on a fake shocked expression, putting his hand over his heart. "And here I thought your eyes were only for Stefi poo!"

She pulled out a beige colored fan from her purse and playfully smacked him in the head. "It's not Stefi poo, its Stefi _bear_! And I was talking about him, thank you very much!"

He smirked at her and drawled out the word, "Right!"

She fanned herself with one hand as she down at the field. "Like your eyes will be staying on Matt."

He glared at her. "They will!"

"I'll bet you twenty bucks that your eyes can't stay away from Tyler for less than half the game!"

He stuck out his hand to make if official. "Deal!"

She shook it, giving him a 'you know you're going down' look before turning away. Jeremy didn't feel as confident as he showed himself. He knew he would probably be tempted to watch Tyler throughout the whole game, but he was still determined to prove his cousin wrong.

"How will I know which one is Matt? I didn't ask him his number."

"They'll come out with their helmets off! They don't put them on until the warm up is over!"

Suddenly the bleachers cheered loudly as the players came out, pumping their fists at the crowd in a gesture of promise of a winning game. Jeremy heard some 'boos' coming from the bleachers off to the other side and guessed it must have been the opponent's fans.

He spotted Matt coming out, pumping his own fist into the air like the others.

Jeremy cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled, "Go Matt!"

"And here comes Tyler right behind him!"

Jeremy's hands lowered when he saw Tyler, jogging behind Matt, yelling something he couldn't hear over the crowd.

_Fuck…is there anything he can't look good in?_ He pressed his lips into a hard line as his gaze wandered down Tyler's face and over his shoulders and down to those…

Jeremy could feel his face heat up and quickly looked over at Katherine who stood and cheered to what he guessed was Stefan's appearance. He quickly tried to compose himself when suddenly he heard someone next to him.

"Just on time!"

Jeremy turned to see Vicky, out of breath as she stood next to him. He smiled, happy to see her. He quickly moved over to make room for her. She nodded her thank you and sat down.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"Good, how about you? I see you're feeling better!"

"I'm doing a lot better!"

"I'm glad! I admit this is my first time I've been to one of these things!"

He frowned, confused. "You don't come for your brother?"

She suddenly looked guilty and glanced down at her hands. "I admit I was never a good sister after our mother left!"

He placed a hand on her shoulder in reassurance. She looked up at him and smiled at the friendly gesture. Then they then focused their attention back on the field.

* * *

><p>The air carried the wonderful scent to Tyler immediately as he stepped out off the locker room and ran out into the field behind Matt. His mate was here. Even though he knew the boy wouldn't be here for him specifically, he couldn't help but feel joy at the thought that his symptoms had not worsened and was able to come tonight.<p>

"Go Matt," he heard from the crowd.

He would recognize that voice anywhere.

He never realized how strong his senses could be until now. After his half fake enthusiastic appearance, he used his sense of smell to pick out Jeremy from the crowd as he began to stretch his arms. It took him seconds before his eyes came upon the brown haired beauty. He was sitting between Katherine and Vicky. He was talking to Vicky about something. His wolf began to growl with jealousy. He wanted Jeremy to only pay attention to him.

And as if he read his mind, his mate turned and stared right at him. Their eyes connected and he felt warmth spread through his body, seeming to wash over every nerve and bone.

He moved onto the other arm for a moment before moving down to his legs, not breaking his connection with Jeremy. That's when he smelled it, his musky arousal flowing to him like if he had pulled it in. It beat all other scents around him like if no one else was there but them. Jeremy was the only one he saw and smelled.

"Ready to kick ass," Matt asked, slapping his hand on his shoulder.

Tyler narrowed his eyes at Matt, annoyed for breaking off the moment with his mate.

"What," he asked confused, when he saw the glare directed at him.

He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, standing straight. He opened his eyes and looked over at his best friend. "Sorry; nervous."

He smirked. "You nervous? The world must be ending!" He glanced over at the crowd and suddenly smiled. "There's Jeremy."

_Who will never truly belong to you, I might add. _"Oh, yeah."

Matt didn't seem to hear his lack of enthusiasm as he waved to him.

* * *

><p>When their eyes met, even from far away, Jeremy felt an instant connection. He suddenly felt better than he had in days. He felt…good. Hell, 'good' was a fucking understatement. He suddenly felt aroused, and let out a light involuntary shudder. His face turned red and the image of Tyler ripping off his gear and presenting his bare chest crept into his mind. Then he saw Matt, his <em>boyfriend<em>, arrive by Tyler's side.

Vicky must have noticed his flushed face because she asked if he was okay.

"Perfect."

He didn't know if she heard him while he kept his eyes on the two boys. A moment later, Matt saw him and smiled, waving at him. He waved back, unable to really smile as the embarrassment was still with him.

The sound of nails on a scratch board was suddenly heard as Coach Tanner stepped onto the middle of the field with a microphone. He waited for the crowd to quiet down.

"Good evening, friends and family! For those of you who don't know me, I'm William Tanner and I'm the Mystic Fall's Wolverine football coach! We welcome you to our first game of the season and I'm sure we'll be seeing great things from our players this year and remember them for years to come as, for some, this will be their last year! But let's save that for graduation in May!"

Chuckles went about from the audience while other's cheered for the reminder of graduation.

"Enjoy the game, ladies and gentlemen! Go wolverines," Tanner finished and the crowd whistled and applauded when he stepped away with the microphone.

"Tanner is so full of shit," he heard Katherine say.

He threw a crocked smile at her and then watched as the referee blew his whistle for all players to get into positions. A second whistle came and the ball was passed. The seconds began to tick away on the score board; 0 to 0.

It seemed like only seconds had passed when the first goal went to their team. The crowd cheered loudly, some standing up in their seats. Jeremy, on the other hand, wasn't focused on the game. He began to feel the opponent team's pain. He was losing his own deal over here on the bleachers. While Tyler had been defending the ball, Jeremy's gaze automatically slid right down to his tight looking ass. When the referee blew his whistle for the players to return to position, Jeremy focused—well, glared should be the right word—at Matt, determined to focus on him now for the rest of the game.

"What's with the face," Vicky asked.

"The wind is hurting my eyes!"

"What wind? It's like almost ninety out here!"

Jeremy ignored her as the whistle blew again and the second round began.

_Motherfuckin' shit fuck. _His eyes didn't even last a minute on Matt before his eyes wandered back to Tyler…well, not his face anyway. Tyler was as amazing to him right now as water in a desert. But he admitted to himself that it was a pretty nice view. It showed how much Tyler took care of himself and how much he worked out to keep up with football. He managed to take a glance at Matt who was doing well on his side in defending the ball as well. Stefan was doing plain amazing with making his first goal. Suddenly, two opponents tackled to the ground, making him drop the gall. Lots of 'boos' came from all around them.

"No worry! Our team wins like 95% of the time," Vicky commented, smiling.

Jeremy turned to look at Katherine when he heard her gasp. "Those buffalos are going to hurt my Stefi bear!"

"The guy is like a two hundred and something pounds of muscle," Jeremy protested.

"Well, those guys are like four hundred!"

He forgot about her when he noticed Tyler staring at him again, making his heart jump. Their eyes met for a brief moment before a pause was made for the players to join in with their coach for pep talk and rehydration.

* * *

><p>Three hours later, they won 40 to 16. His adrenaline hadn't kicked in but he never really needed it; Jeremy had been more than enough to keep him going through, not including his father's intense glare on him every second. There were moments like those when he thought his father should have been in his shoes instead…but then he would have never felt what he felt for Jeremy now. True, it's not exactly love—<em>yet?<em>—but he had come to accept his desire from his wolf and apply it as his own.

After high fives and slaps on the backs from his team mates, with the exception of Steven and Daniel, Matt invited him over to see Jeremy and the others. He squeezed the hard plastic from his helmet in his hand as they approached. Jeremy saw him and looked away, hints of pink on his cheeks.

"Hey," Matt said, kissing Jeremy in front of everyone.

_Best friend, best friend, best friend…_

Tyler turned to Katherine who was busy sucking face with Stefan. When they pulled away, Katherine saw him and smiled. He stuck out his hand but she decided to go at him for a hug instead. He froze in the hug for a moment before he gave her an awkward pat on the back.

"Thanks," he mumbled. "I guess."

She broke away and returned to Stefan. He glanced back at Matt and Jeremy who were talking excitedly. Matt then looked over at him and told Jeremy something. He couldn't hear what it was since his brain was too busy processing Jeremy slowly walking to him.

They stared at each other for a minute before Jeremy mimicked his earlier action and raised his hand to him for a handshake.

"Congratulations on winning the game. You were…great out there."

Tyler heard Matt groan. "This isn't a business meeting! Let me see that you two can get along!"

Tyler had an image of a light bulb being lit up above his head like the cartoons at a sudden idea. He broke into a wide grin. Jeremy's eyes widened, seeming to have sensed something was up.

"You're right, Matt!"

Suddenly he stepped forward and pulled Jeremy into a hug, careful not to squish the boy's hand.

He heard Jeremy gasp at the sudden touch.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered and then smiled at Matt so the blonde wouldn't be suspicious of anything.

"Uh…," was all, the younger boy uttered.

Tyler felt good; better, and way calmer in his mate's arms. Like if they had been together all long and nothing was wrong in the world.

But he knew there was and his mate's fear and Matt were what stood in the way of true peace. Surprisingly, Jeremy's fear didn't overpower his nose.

* * *

><p><em>Holy. Shit.<em> Jeremy expected to jerk away but he didn't. He shook lightly in the werewolf's arms but it wasn't truly from fear of Tyler but the fear of the sudden feeling of safety and tranquility within himself.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Tyler whispered in his ear. He sounded sincere. The gentleness of his hands around his shoulders was proof of his words.

Past the light smell of sweat, there was warm hazelnut with hints of what smelled like crisp leaves from the forest. His eyes almost fluttered close at the surge of pleasure he got from it. There was a tingling in his hands, an urge to hug Tyler, to run them over his back and grab those buttocks. He must have relaxed at some point, when he suddenly felt Tyler's hands pull him closer. That's when reality slammed him back to the ground.

_Matt!_

He quickly gave Tyler a single pat on the back before he pulled away a little forcefully, trying to keep his face from heating up. Jeremy used all the courage he had to look Matt in the face. It was blank, his eyes almost seeming to calculate the scene in front of him.

_Fuck. _The hug had been seconds too long, especially between two guys, from which one of them people thought was straight as can be.

"We should get going. School day again tomorrow," he said, giving Katherine a glance. She had her lips pressed into a tight line, almost agreeing that the hug had been a bad idea from Tyler.

* * *

><p>Tyler looked happy-a little too happy- in embracing Jeremy. Matt should be content that Tyler was willing to get along with Jeremy now but he couldn't help but notice how quickly his best friend was willing to comply to a hug when Tyler hasn't even hung out with Jeremy at school. He was telling himself nothing was wrong since Tyler wasn't gay…but then he hadn't been before either.<p>

_Don't be stupid. Tyler wouldn't turn gay even if someone paid him millions. But what was that about then?_

Jeremy pulled away after an awkward moment. He could tell Tyler caught Jeremy off guard too.

"We should get going. School day again tomorrow," Jeremy said.

No one moved or said anything for a long moment. The sound of laughter and conversation from the leaving team fans were the only thing heard.

"Congratulations, boys! That was a fantastic game out there," Mrs. Lockwood said, coming up behind Tyler.

Mr. Lockwood didn't say anything. He was busy picking at someone on his phone.

Matt smiled at her. She's always been a second mother to him. "Thank you, Mrs. Lockwood. Sadly, it's not as easy as it looks!"

* * *

><p>Tyler relaxed when his mother distracted Matt. He wouldn't have known what to say.<p>

After some small talk, Tyler knew he had to go back inside the locker rooms and get his stuff before going home. But that would mean he had to part from Jeremy. The boy hadn't looked at him since the risky embrace but he didn't regret it, no matter what Matt had thought about it.

As Matt and he walked silently away, he couldn't help but look back at Jeremy, only to find he was also glancing back at him too. Jeremy quickly turned away when their eyes met.

Inside the locker rooms, everyone was banging against their lockers for their victory.

"I'll probably take a shower at home," Tyler told Matt loud enough so he could hear himself over the noise. He didn't want to undress there; hugging Jeremy had given him an itch that needed to be scratched.

Matt nodded. "Me too," he yelled back.

They packed everything up and left, walking across the field to the parking lot.

"Tyler, let me tell you something," Matt began.

Tyler growled inwardly; something told him Matt wouldn't have let it go.

Matt suddenly stopped. Tyler stopped two steps away.

Matt stared at him hard. "Whatever it is you're doing, whatever happened back there between you two, I want you to stop. I'm glad you two aren't fighting but I saw your expression."

He paused and raised a finger at him for emphasis. "And I haven't seen that expression before but I don't even want to think about what it came close to. So I'm telling you to stop; this is your one and only warning."

With that he walked away. Tyler turned and watched him go.

_Don't forget, Matt; I can't say no to a challenge._

* * *

><p>Jeremy lay in bed, thinking about Tyler after checking for any unfinished homework. During their…sort of embrace, he had felt fear for a second that he had suddenly been touched but then it almost completely faded and he felt…right. After they had to go their own ways, the same nauseous feeling rising in his stomach returned. The same sensation before he had to puke. He practically had to use everything not to gag in the car and not freak everyone out after finding Jenna with Mason.<p>

Okay, so maybe Tyler wasn't the monster he thought he was—with big emphasis on the word maybe. The guy was still a werewolf and now who knows what Matt is thinking because of earlier. Even Stefan had a 'what the hell was that' look on his face.

Jeremy looked down at the cell phone on his chest for the millionth time, hoping he would get at least a text from Matt saying something. _Anything. _I mean even if his boyfriend did find the hug weird, it wasn't like he should be mad at him. He would have to think that Tyler was the one who got carried away.

Minutes passed and the phone was still silent.

_Fuck this. _He picked up the cell and called Matt. It was almost eleven but he didn't care. Seven rings later and it went to voicemail. He sighed and hung up. He tried again but got the same result. He decided to send him a text.

**I need to talk to you, please. **

Few minutes later, Matt replied. _I was asleep, Jeremy. _

**What, so you're mad at me now? **

_No, I was sleeping. Like what you should be doing right now. You said it yourself, we have school tomorrow. _

Jeremy felt he was lying. Matt had called him Jeremy while he always called him 'Jer' or 'baby' since they got together. He had to be pissed off while he just lay in bed, trying not to break a hole into the wall.

Jeremy didn't reply after that and just sat up to plug his cell into the charger, placing it on his nightstand and making sure the alarm was set for 6 am. He lay back down and turned on his side, closing his eyes and trying to relax.

_I'm not going to hurt you. _

Jeremy pulled his pillow from under his head and pressed it on his face. He suddenly wished that his mother would know about his situation; she always knew what to say.

_But then she'd probably tell me to do what's right for me and stay with Matt. _

But was that what he truly wanted?

His phone began to vibrate on the nightstand. Jeremy sat up quickly, thinking it was Matt.

_Are you awake? _

It was Katherine.

**Even if I wasn't, you'd probably wake me. I'm still alive. You?**

_Sorry. Can't sleep tonight. Still thinking about earlier with the hug and all. I'm still alive too. _

**Can't stop thinking about it too, I admit. But now Matt is angry at me for it. Why do you feel that way? You're not the one with a werewolf after you and you have Stefan. **

_He'll be fine tomorrow morning, I'm sure. He's probably jealous cause you didn't pull away or something. No offense, but I know how you guys work. Gay or not. As for me…well you know that Stefan will have to know something about the real me. _

**None taken and hopefully you're right. I called him two times and sent him a text and in the text he told me that he had been asleep. But the thing is he called me 'Jeremy' instead of 'Jer' or 'baby' like he always does. But I don't think you have anything to worry about. It's not like you're a werewolf or anything. You can live your life with Stefan without him ever knowing. **

_Jer or baby, huh? Hilarious! But like I said, he's jealous so give him a little bit to calm down. Maybe, but I'd feel guilty, uncomfortable or whatever not letting him know if we do get married one day. _

**Oh and 'Stefi bear' isn't? Fine I will. And don't be; it's not like you have to hurt people or change into an animal every once in a while. **

_Nope ;) jk. Cousin, why do you hate Tyler so much? I mean I get he's a wolf and all but you shouldn't judge him like that. _

**That's what Kyle said. I don't hate him; I'm scared he'll hurt me if he suddenly loses control. **

_Don't forget that Tyler and his wolf are different beings. I feel that Tyler isn't the one you should be worried about so you're safe during the other days from the full moon. Anyway, we should try to get some sleep. One more day of hell ahead of us tomorrow. Goodnight. _

Jeremy re-read the first sentence three times, thinking it over. In movies, the wolf would always be the angry, dangerous creature that killed his prey. In the morning, its host wouldn't remember what he had done the night before.

If Tyler would be doing something during every full moon, there would have been animals and maybe people turning up dead the next morning. It would be all over school and on the news. He hadn't watched the news once since he came to town but he knew Jenna would have mentioned if something was wrong.

**Goodnight, Kat. **

He placed his cell phone back on the nightstand before laying the pillow back under his head. He stared at the half closed curtained window as he wondered what Tyler did to stop himself from getting out into the public. Was his wolf smart enough to know it would be a bad move to kill? Did Tyler take something that could help with the transformation?

Then he realized even werewolves must have a weakness. He searched his memories for any information that Katherine told him about this. There wasn't; not that he could remember anyway. Maybe her spell book didn't have information on that but it would be strange for the book to not have any information on how to be protected from a werewolf if any witch were to encounter one. But if it was the other option, if Katherine is keeping that information from him to help Tyler, he knew he had to find out what it was on his own.

_Thank god it's almost weekend._

* * *

><p>Tyler adjusted the temperature of the water to moderate hot, he needed steam, and he needed to relax, as far as was possible considered the pressure in his pants.<p>

After getting home, all he had managed was a quick kiss on his mom's cheek before heading to his room. He had discarded of his clothes in no time and since he didn't want to waste any more he decided to combine cleaning and what else he had in mind.

Tyler took the liquid soap and began soap himself with it while standing under the running water. He closed his eyes and began to let his slick hands slide over his body. He imagined that Jeremy was here with him, that those deep brown eyes were burning with lust and looking him over. In his fantasy Tyler was leaning against the same tiles he was leaning now, but the hands sliding over his skin and running through his hair were Jeremy's and not his own. It was Jeremy that tenderly traced around his nipples, Jeremy that gently ran his hand over Tyler's ass and rubbed his pecs.

Jeremy's hands stroked and squeezed Tyler's erection, those lovely brown eyes glued to the action. His dick was so hard every little sensation was magnified. Jeremy let him gasp and moan, making his cock leak and sending shivers of pleasure through his body. Tyler felt the heat build up inside him as Jeremy started to cup his balls. His breath came in pants. His fingers and toes clenched, his back stiffened. Jeremy jerked him off faster and faster, then his body tightened and heat spurted across Tyler's cock.

* * *

><p>After a while Jeremy had finally found sleep and soon he had sunk into the land of dreams. There in the deep caves of his mind he lived through the day again. He spoke the same words, ate the same foods and did the same things. But when Tyler gave him his longer than normal hug, Jeremy didn't pull away this time and Matt didn't cross his mind. Lust burned within himself and he grabbed Tyler's hair to tilt his head to the said a bit. He gave the hot jock an open-mouthed kiss, then continued with letting their tongues dance and rubbing against him.<p>

As the scene shifted Jeremy found himself on his fours in the middle of the football field with Tyler pounding into him from behind. A large crowd had gathered around them but neither of the boys cared a bit for it. Tyler just kept going with fucking Jeremy's ass in a hard almost brutal way, slamming him hard and fast; grabbing Jeremy's hips with force. The sounds he made were almost animal. Jeremy wasn't far behind him, he actually snarled from time to time, but mostly he groaned. Jeremy enjoyed every thrust of it, he even shouted Tyler's name time and again for everyone around them to hear.

The scene shifted again. They were still on the football field, still surrounded by a thick mass of people all staring at them. The difference was that this time it was Jeremy who was on top. He fucked Tyler missionary style, while sucking at the tender flesh of Tyler's neck emitting muffled groans, growls and grunts. Jeremy fucked him hard and fast, practically fucking Tyler into the ground. Tyler panted, groaned, yelled and above all screamed his name, while clinging with all his might to Jeremy's body. The sounds of their carnality led everyone know who this hot stud belonged to and that only Jeremy was allowed inside that hot and tight ass.

Both of the boys practically roared their release into the night. Tyler snuggled against Jeremy and whispered "I love you Jeremy."

Jeremy lifted his head - they were alone all of a sudden – and opened his mouth, about to speak.

Jeremy woke up, his heart beating fast and sweat running along his sides.

* * *

><p>Tyler cuddled himself into his blanket, a pleased smile on his face. He had to laugh about himself. Fuck his wolf; after the episode in the shower it was obvious that he himself was horny for this gorgeous piece of ass called Jeremy Gilbert.<p>

* * *

><p>Note: Click button below! Click it! Click it now! ...Please? *puppy dog eyes* thank you :D<p> 


	33. Weakness

First Time for Everything

Chapter 33

Note: Beyond trillions of thank yous to Simba and you readers with your heart attack giving compliments. :P Don't worry, it's a good kind.

093022: Thank you! :D

Jyler4eva: First off your name is awesome! High five! And thank you so much for liking the story and taking your time to review! :) Hope you like the new chapter!

* * *

><p>Her body sang, held in thrall by the brush of his fingers against her clit, the wet flick of his tongue against the base of her throat, the thick, pulsing fire of his cock within her pussy. Steven's hips thrust upward in a rapid rhythm that indicated his orgasm neared. Sweat beaded his shoulders and hairline. Caroline's lower body flamed, every inch of her becoming an erogenous zone as yet another orgasm built in her overheated flesh. Steven had decided that every dog needed a bone from time to time so that they would follow orders. He made sure that this one would get a big one.<p>

* * *

><p>Tyler managed to dodge everyone before they woke up Thursday morning of the following week. Well, he managed to dodge his mom. Her happy birthday wishes could wait until the afternoon. Right now, he needed to give Jeremy his own gift before he arrived. He didn't want to take the risk of coming later and having practically the whole student body poking their noses where they don't belong. <em>The fewer, the better.<em> He walked with one hand in his jeans' pocket, trailing his fingers over the small round object hidden in there. When he arrived at school, he scanned the grounds, eyeing the number of students hanging around outside. He noticed some were wearing light jackets and sweatshirts. The temperature had been going down little by little but the difference in climate had already begun to take effect. He was still wearing t-shirt and probably would be longer than the people around him until the stares and whispers regarding possible drug abuse would be starting again.

He climbed out of his car and grabbed his things, locking the car and walked to the entrance. He checked his watch and saw it was ten minutes before seven; more than an hour before school began. Once inside, he pulled out his cell phone and went through his messages, clicking on one of Katherine's. In it, it contained Jeremy's locker number and combination. He hadn't been surprised to see her ask why he needed it first. He explained what he wanted to do and she easily gave him the information he needed and wished him luck without further questions. He began to walk down the hallway, glancing at the numbers printed on top of each locker. Ten minutes later, he arrived at the locker he was looking for. He licked his drying lips, hoping when Jeremy recognized it and who it was from, he wouldn't just throw it away. He checked the combination on his phone one more time and began to work it open carefully. Seconds later, he opened it and took a moment to stare at the boy's stuff. The lingering smell of honeysuckle filled his nose. He breathed it in for a moment before he placed his little gift on top of the pile of notebooks. He was about to close the door when something in the pile caught his eye.

Tyler stared at the corner of a white color paged notebook. He frowned. _Can't be. _He glanced down each end of the hall; no one was in sight. He turned back to the locker and carefully took it out, making sure the ring didn't fall to the back of the locker. He trailed his hand over the black covered notebook and opened it. He almost dropped it. _Holy shit. _

It was a sketch book. He turned to the first page, curiosity getting the better of him. The first sketch was of an amazingly detailed woman who he didn't recognize. She was sitting on a rocking chair, smiling down at a bundled baby she held in her arms. It took a moment for him to realize Jeremy had drawn this from a photograph; probably a photograph of his mother as she held him as a newborn. He recognized traces of Jeremy's features on her face. Due to the picture showing her right side he could see that she had the same beauty spots he had on her cheek.

Tyler turned the page and saw the same woman but with an older Jeremy; no older than 2 years old, both smiling wide as they stared at what he guessed was the camera. Behind this picture were slides and swings, with faded tracings of other children playing on them.

The third sketch had the same woman but this time Jeremy was around seven years old. They were at the beach, with seagulls, umbrellas, the ocean behind them. Only Jeremy smiled in this picture. Jeremy's mother seemed to be watching Jeremy with an almost sad expression on his face, almost as if wishing she could have his charisma. _Why did her mood change? Did something happen to her?_

In the fourth sketch, Jeremy's mother was smiling again but it wasn't the same smile she wore in the first two sketches. This smile was forced as she stared at the camera, a ten year old Jeremy on her lap with two who he guessed were Jeremy's grandparents. There were no more sketches after that one.

Tyler closed the notebook and placed it back the same way it was, careful not to knock the ring over. He closed the locker and walked away, frowning while he was lost in the thought, his mind on Jeremy's sketches. He realized there was something odd with them: neither one had the father in it.

* * *

><p>Jeremy was waiting outside on the porch bench, arms shoved deep into his blue sweat shirt, trying to keep warm. He woke up, feeling chilled, even though he had grabbed an extra blanket from the hall closet during the night. He was sure that, even if it was early September, that the temperature could not be low enough to make him feel this cold. He hoped he wasn't catching the flu; he didn't want to miss more school. Jeremy glanced over when he heard the door open. Katherine stepped out and sighed.<p>

"So glad the heat is almost gone," she commented.

"How do you feel the temperature now?"

"Perfect. Well, it could be if it would go down a little more. We're probably still going to be in the 90s until the end of the month. Why?"

She frowned when she saw him shivering. "Are you cold?"

He nodded. "In my room too. I know now it's only me."

She came over and sat down next to him; bring a hand to his forehead. "You don't feel warm. Let me feel your hands."

He pulled his hands out of his pockets. She reached over and held them for a second. Her eyes widened. "They're cold."

He nodded and shoved his hands back into his sweatshirt. Katherine didn't say anything after that. Jeremy glanced over at her to see her expression serious and grim.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing, just hoping you're not getting sick."

He couldn't help a feeling in his gut that she was hiding something. Being Katherine, she would not go to tell him anything if she didn't say it right away. Just then Matt arrived, stopping in the driveway.

"I'll see you later," he said and stood up.

"Need help?"

"I got it. Thanks."

He could feel her watching him as he walked to Matt's car. Matt and he hadn't truly been the same since the incident last Thursday. Matt had showed him he was moving on the next morning by acting like the texts were nothing. But Jeremy could feel the difference in their relationship now, and in their friendship.

Jeremy opened the passenger door and climbed in, greeting Matt without kissing him as he set his bag down on his lap.

"This isn't working."

Jeremy jerked his gaze at him. _What did that mean? _First thought that came to his mind, was he wanted to break up with him. But would that be a good or bad thing?

"What do you mean by that?" he asked quietly, still staring.

Matt must have heard something in his voice because he glanced at him. His eyes slowly filled with guilt as he took in his expression. "I'm not breaking up with you, Jer."

_Did he just call me "Jer"? _He hadn't called him that all week.

He continued, his voice sounded apologetic as well. "I'll admit I got jealous seeing Tyler with you like that. It was no excuse for the way I've been acting for awhile now but…I need to know something first before we head to school."

_He's going to ask. Oh shit, he's going to ask. _

"Is there something going on between you and Tyler?"

* * *

><p>Mason was bored as hell, watching T.V. after working six hours on the daily paperwork. What teenagers saw fascinating in 'The Jersey Shore' was beyond him. They should read a book or something instead. Suddenly his cell phone rang and saw the call was coming from his sister-in-law.<p>

He answered it and pressed the cell to his ear. "Hey, Carol, what's up?"

"Sorry to bother you, Mason, but I just finished writing down the menu for Tyler's celebration on Saturday!"

"What did you come up with?"

"You'll see on the day. I called the chiefs and they'll be here in about an hour to confirm what I have in mind. They told me they're going to get the waiters for me. I'm so excited right now!"

"Glad you have everything set out, Carol. The kid deserves a good birthday."

"Oh not just any birthday! His 18th! He finally turned into an adult today! It just seems like it was yesterday when I came home from the hospital…"

There was a pause.

"Time goes by so quickly, doesn't it?" he asked softly.

"Sadly, it does. Oh but no room for sadness right now! Thank you for listening, I'll see you tonight."

"That's the spirit. I'll see you later, Carol."

Mason hadn't decided on a specific birthday gift. He hadn't been around Tyler so long in his life to know what his true likings were…besides Jeremy Gilbert. He thought of things like an Ipod but he was sure his nephew already had one of those.

_Pre-paid Visa card it is._

* * *

><p>Jeremy swallowed and used everything he had to keep staring Matt in the eye. There was no time to think about the answer. If he did, Matt would suspect he was lying.<p>

"No."

Matt studied him for a long moment. Jeremy was glad he was able to hide his hands inside his sweat shirt as they trembled, part of it not really from the cold anymore.

Matt then nodded, convinced, but his eyes told him a different story it seemed.

Matt leaned back fully in his seat and began to drive for the school. There was a few minutes of silence before he said, "It's Tyler's birthday today."

"What?" he asked shocked.

He didn't seem to think anything over the reaction. "Yeah. Though the party won't be until Saturday," He paused, seeming to hesitate about something. "I'm not exactly getting along with him right now but he's still my best friend. I got him something for today and I decided to go to his party."Another pause. "I don't know if you want to come with me."

_Is this a test? _If he was, he decided to step off to the safe side. "I don't know. I'll have to see. Think I'm doing something this Saturday."

Matt simply nodded. "That's fine. Let me know a little before, should you change your mind."

They arrived at school moments later. Jeremy was about to climb off when Matt reached out and grabbed his hand. Jeremy looked at him, surprised. Matt gently pulled him towards him and Jeremy let himself be pulled. Matt then gave him a deep apologetic kiss. When they pulled away, Matt gave him a small smile and whispered 'I love you' to him before he climbed out.

Inside the building, Matt parted from him to go get his things before meeting him back at his locker. Jeremy walked to his own and twisted in his combination, pulling the door open and reaching in for his things. He paused when he saw something sitting on top of his pile of books and old homework. He carefully reached it and took it out, examining the object in his hand; a ring.

Jeremy looked around as if someone had an explanation for this but no one was even looking his way. He placed his backpack down to examine the mysterious ring closer. It was a thick silver colored ring; not exactly the type a girl would wear. On the inside, he saw something was printed. He turned it until he was able to see what it was; symbols. Ones he did not recognize. _Who was this from? _Jeremy looked inside his locker, seeing if there was any note or another object that would help him.

None.

"What's that?"

He almost jumped ten feet in the air when Matt stepped next to him.

He thought quickly. "Just my ring. I kept forgetting to bring it back home with me."

"Why'd you take it off in the first place?"

"I didn't want to lose it."

Jeremy carefully placed the ring inside his pocket before Matt could ask to see it. He would have to look into it later.

* * *

><p>"Katherine. There's no turning back," Stefan whispered into her ear, his tongue tracing the delicate fluted edge.<p>

"Good," she replied, her fingers sliding into the waistband of his jeans. She popped the buttons, thankful for whoever created the button fly.

Stefan's steel-blue eyes burned with lust. She stared into them as her hands pushed aside the soft denim and delved into his boxer briefs. Her fingers closed around his straining shaft and his breath stopped for a moment. She smiled to herself, realizing that at least as far as Stefan Salvatore was concerned; the old talk about big hands, big feet, big dicks thankfully wasn't true. She liked them average, it was easier to take everything in and she always thought that boys equipped like that found her G-spot extremely fast. Now that was true for Stefan, he had found hers at first try and God could he eat pussy. Squeezing him gently, her thumb found the slit at the end of the velvety head. Moisture seeped from it and she rubbed the sticky fluid over his heated flesh. His breathing returned with an audible rush. As she stared into his eyes she wondered how daring Stefan might be. Fucking in a supply closet at school definitely here and now was a turn on for him; would he be willing to do it out in the open?

Stefan's arm wrapped her hips, holding her up against him. She let go of his thick cock and ground herself against him, her wetness sliding along his hard length.

"This time quick and hard. Then we'll go to my place. I want to let you ride me out in the ground for hours," he growled.

"Shut up and fuck me already, Stefan," she panted, pulling his head down.

Their mouths slid together, tongues and lips meeting in a sensual dance while Stefan pressed Katherine's shoulders against the wall of the closet. His hands tilted her hips and he pressed his cock deep within her in a single thrust. Katherine's eyes rolled back in her head as the head of his cock hit her G-spot.

Her legs wound around him, her entire weight resting on his arms. She pulled up the tank top, her full breasts rubbing against his chest. He sucked on her tongue and rotated his hips. Her clit ground against his pubic bone and she moaned. Sounds of pleasure emerged from her with every rough twist of his hips and thrust of his cock.

He tried to silence her with kisses, but she was desperate to touch him. Her mouth and hands feverishly roamed every part of him that she could reach. She couldn't stop touching him as she rode his cock, thrusting against him, her pussy gripping him tightly, her lust-swollen flesh aching for release. He nipped her throat and a loud groan escaped her.

* * *

><p>Daniel was running down the hall, ignoring the annoyed remarks of other students as he bumped into some along the way. He was late and he prayed that Steven wouldn't have his head for it; but his Government teacher needed to talk to him about his D in the class and how he needed to work harder on projects, and blah blah blah.<p>

He arrived a few minutes later, out into the parking lot where he spotted Steven leaning against his black 2010 Ferrari. He was surprised to see his friend's face wasn't twisted into a scowl, angry for waiting like he hated doing. Instead, he had a thoughtful look on his face, seeming to be deep in thought about something. Before he could call out to him, the older boy broke out of his thoughts and turned to him.

He raised an eyebrow at him in warning. "What kept you?"

"Mr. Humphry. He had to remind me I have a bad grade in there, sorry."

He grimaced inwardly; he hated disappointing him.

"I'm going to have to cut you out from all this," he said, looking out into the distance as he crossed his arms over his head.

His eyes widened with shock. _What the hell is he talking about?_

"Cut me out? What does that mean?" he demanded angrily.

Steven continued not to look at him, his expression serious. "What it sounds like. You haven't exactly been giving me anything we agreed on so I've chosen someone else to take your place for tonight. Your replacement received an invitation from Lockwood this morning so it will just make it easier to do her part."

He stared at him, hoping the older boy would suddenly break out laughing and telling him that he was messing around. But moments of silence stretched on between them and no sound or movement came from the jock other than his chest moving steadily under his crossed arms.

"Who is _her_?"

"Caroline Forbes. Lockwood won't think of her as suspicious and so she'll easily be able to stay inside the mansion without any trouble."

Jealously curled into Daniel's belly at the thought of his next question but tried to keep his voice calm. "Are you two back together?"

"No. I'm just hiring her to do the dirty work for me."

He relaxed somewhat but it didn't take it entirely away, knowing Steven preferred the annoying whore over him.

Steven then pulled away from his car and opened the door.

"See you later," he said blankly and closed the door. The Ferrari came to life and he backed out, driving out of the parking lot quickly and soon disappearing down the road, the lingering sound of the engine ringing in Daniel's ear as he glared at the empty spot where the car had been moments earlier.

He would prove he was better than Forbes; the dumb bitch couldn't count her fingers if she tried to. _I'll show them who's better at this. I'll find something to bring back even if I have to stay there until I get dragged out. _

He swore that he would have Steven's trust back.

* * *

><p>Matt came home with Jeremy when the announcements commented on no practice that day as a gift from Coach Tanner for winning the game. After school, he had called his boss to say he wasn't feeling well enough to come to work that afternoon. Jenna was more than happy to have Matt accompany them for dinner. All day he moved at school, Jeremy could feel the ring inside his pocket, almost taunting him that he didn't know what it was. Yet; he was determined to figure it out. After dinner, he felt his cell vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was Kyle, asking him if he was available to talk on Skype again.<p>

Suddenly the doorbell rang and Katherine quickly stood up and ran for the door. They heard the door open followed by a loud 'Stefi bear!' Katherine brought in Stefan inside the kitchen. He smiled at everyone and Jenna offered him some dinner. Stefan politely refused, saying he already ate before coming here but he'd be happy to eat here with us some other time.

Jeremy decided to take the opportunity to leave.

"Bathroom break," he said, and headed for his room. He went to pee before going over to his computer and turning it on.

Moments later, he clicked on his internet explorer icon and took out the ring from his pocket.

Now the only question was: where to begin searching? He didn't even know what to call the engraved images on the inside. If he typed in 'symbols' he would get probably billions of hits. He placed the ring down next to his laptop and leaned forward in his chair and typing 'mysterious symbols'. Not the best way to start off but what else could he...

Could he…

He…

Jeremy slowly narrowed his eyes down at the ring and memories came crashing down on him.

_Jeremy had to fight the urge to touch that beautiful face. Instead he forced his eyes downwards to look at Tyler's body. He was dressed in a light grey sweater – only being slightly larger than Tyler's body, hinting at his buff form without revealing too much - with buttons down to the middle of his chest, all unbuttoned so the skin there could be seen. The arms were fully covered and he wore a ring on his right middle finger…_

Jeremy closed his eyes and breathed in deeply through his nose, counting to ten.

The same ring on Tyler's hand the night of the party, the night he almost got kissed — and stupidly he had been about to let it happen — by him, had been waiting for him in his locker and was now sitting on his desk.

_How did he find out my locker combination? How did he even know where it was? That's just damn creepy. _The thought of Tyler sneaking around, watching him at school and maybe even after was scary. Now he feared the meaning behind the symbols. Was it some kind of…werewolf bondage ritual?

He opened his eyes when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was a message from Kyle.

_Skype? :D_

**Sure why not? You on? **He needed the distraction right now.

_Yup. _

Jeremy clicked off from the internet and went to Skype. He logged in and within seconds, Kyle's chat invitation was invading his screen.

Jeremy accepted and the screen changed to Kyle's smirking face. "What's up? Miss me?"

"Every minute of the day," he said sarcastically.

"Mystic Falls has made you cold, dude!"

"Jer? Who are you talking to?"

Jeremy turned to see Matt standing in the doorway. He looked between the screen and him.

"Is that Matt?" Kyle asked, excited.

"And who might you be?"

"Just some weirdo he met on the internet!" he paused and laughed. "Kidding!"

"He got it right on the weirdo part," Jeremy said, smirking a little. He glanced at Matt. "He's Kyle, my best friend from Florida. Kyle, I guess you already know who this is."

"Nice to meet you," Matt said. He stepped into the room and fell onto his back on the bed.

_Great, he's still in his mood. _

Kyle was giving him a 'What? Did I say something wrong?'-look. Matt hadn't really seemed to give an interest in making contact with Kyle, which surprised Jeremy. Since he'd come to know him, the blonde had always been the one to be nice and friendly, even with people he didn't know. Ever since the game night, he had been nothing but curt and almost always seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. It's been exactly a week and Matt hadn't even kissed him or made any sort of warm gesture. When Katherine noticed Matt wasn't easing up, they both agreed on the thought that Matt would probably break the relationship off.

_And the moment has come. _

"Hey can I talk to you later? I forgot Matt and I needed to get a head start on a project for Chemistry class-_which Matt already passed two years ago_, sorry."

Kyle stared at him for a long, silent moment. The tensions in the air seemed to thicken with Matt's silence as well, the only sound coming from downstairs at the sound of happy laughter, oblivious of what was going on just one level above them.

Kyle nodded slowly, convinced something was wrong with the situation. "Sure. Bye, man." And mouthed 'Tell me what happened later.'

He nodded. "Bye."

He signed off and shut down his computer.

"He seemed nice," Matt commented.

Jeremy closed the screen and gazed over at the ring. "How could you tell when you only said four words to him?"

He ignored his question and said, "Close the door, please."

His mouth dropped open in surprise. Matt has said it calmly but it held an air of firm order to it at the same time. Jeremy turned to look at his boyfriend still lying on his back on the bed. Part of him hoped that Matt would suddenly burst out laughing and say all of it was a joke and apologize like hell but seconds passed and the blonde didn't so much as twitch.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you acting this way?"

"I'll answer your questions after you close the door."

Jeremy started to feel irritated; what the hell was his problem? Suddenly bossing him around. But he wanted to get this over with. The break up session was about to begin and Jeremy just wanted to get it over with then. Obviously, Matt wasn't the same person he thought he knew.

He got up and walked over to the door, closing it carefully so nobody downstairs would come up to ask questions. He would tell the girls about it later after Stefan and Matt left anyway.

He stood in front of the bed, arms crossed over his chest. "I can take a hint. I'll admit I saw this one coming. Your attitude hasn't changed for days towards me so…"

"I'm not breaking up with you, Jer."

That made him freeze. He called him by his nickname again. He hadn't called him anything but 'Jeremy' since before the game last week and now he had done it three times in one day. Something was up.

"Then….what did you want to say?"

Matt sat up, glancing over at him and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Jeremy took a few steps back, wondering what he was going to do. For a second, the thought of Matt hitting him popped into his mind. He quickly shook the image off.

Matt slowly advanced on him as he backed away.

"What are you doing?"

Seconds later, his back touched the coolness of the wall behind him; he was trapped. Should he scream? Punch him? Run? He wasn't fast enough to make a decision. Matt's hands were suddenly on each side of his face, his face inches away from his as his blue eyes stared back deeply into his brown ones.

"I know you want me, Jer. You always have."

_Holy shit, not that. _"Um…"

One of older boy's hands came over and touched his cheek gently. Different emotions swam in Matt's eyes; but Jeremy could only identify two with uncertainty: lust and determination.

"Don't fight this. We were meant to be together."

_The guy definitely snapped. _"Matt, you have to stop."

He barely managed to whisper the words, afraid of what the other might do if he tried to stop him physically.

Matt ignored his comment and kissed him deeply. Jeremy immediately tensed, shocked and red alerts going off in his head about his next move. He considers just shoving Matt away and run out the door, but it wasn't like Matt was willing to rape him if he tried to escape. _Right? _

Matt pulled away for a moment, panting for air, face flushed. _Okay, so maybe he only wants to kiss and make up for the last couple of days. _A nagging feeling in the back of his head told Jeremy that it wasn't Matt to make up for things.

Jeremy wished that it was all there was.

Before he could say anything, Matt was kissing him again but this time, he felt the tip of his tongue brush over his bottom lip, silently telling him to open his mouth.

A sudden idea popped into his mind. Swallowing down the discomfort of his next movement, he opened his mouth and allowed Matt's tongue to slide inside and touch his own. Matt moaned in approval and pressed himself closer to his body. Jeremy was surprised at the lack of positive hormonal urges. Yeah, he wasn't into Matt this way but he was still a teenage boy. This should get him hard and eager not just feel nice.

Jeremy held still as he let Matt explore his mouth for a moment before pulling away.

"We should probably go downstairs," Jeremy panted out.

Matt then suddenly grabbed him and pushed him onto the bed. Not roughly but not gently either. Matt took off his shoes before kicking his own off.

"No-we shouldn't…"

Matt climbed over him and leaned down, kissing down his neck.

He felt his face heat up in embarrassment. He'd only dreamed and fantasized about being touched like this but with someone who he wanted to get touched by, someone who he wanted to touch back.

Matt leaned away to take off his shirt. He held onto the hem of his shirt and glanced at him knowingly. God damn it, he didn't want to do this; he didn't want to make his first time all be a lie but he also didn't want to stop because… of Tyler. Deep inside he felt it; the overwhelming desires to touch Tyler, to be in his arms, especially when they were close to each other. But why couldn't he have been human? Why couldn't he be Matt? Every normal guy would have fallen for Matt in an instant but loony Jeremy had to fall for the second biggest asshole in town.

When Matt saw he wasn't budging anytime soon, he went with taking off his own shirt. The older boy was well built like he imagined; lean stomach but layered underneath with hard muscle. His biceps were muscles as well, muscle perfectly sculpted on his upper arms. Jeremy couldn't deny Matt was hot half naked. He had really nice pink nipples. _But you prefer them light-brown._ His skin matched well with his blond hair and light blue eyes. _You like dark-hair and brown eyes more._ He began to tremble lightly in fear when his eyes moved to his boyfriend's hands that unbuckled his belt and threw it onto the side of the bed in a swift movement and sliding out of his jeans, leaving him only in boxers now, and eyes never leaving Jeremy.

_No, no, no—this isn't right! Can't he see I don't want this? Forget Matt, you are the one who is the problem asshole!_

"No!" he yelled, reaching out and catching his wrists that were milliseconds from pulling his last piece of fabric off.

Matt stopped moving and his eyes widened at the loud command. Jeremy expected for him to suddenly turn from surprised to horrified at realizing what he was doing. But instead he was suddenly glaring down at him. His took his hands away from the waistband of his boxers and climbed off the bed, grabbing his belt and slipping his jeans back on.

Suddenly they heard footsteps coming quickly up the stairs. Seconds later, someone knocked at the door.

"Are you guys okay? We heard a yell," Katherine asked.

Matt didn't seem to care about Katherine at the door.

"Of course you'd have _him_ on your mind," Matt mumbled.

He next grabbed his shirt off the floor, slipping it on.

"Did you guys hear what I said?"

Jeremy swallowed and his trembling rose up, adrenaline gone completely. "Yeah. We're fine."

Matt walked over to the door and opened it. Katherine stepped inside, looking at Matt and then over at him.

"I'll see you later," Matt mumbled to him without looking before walking out of the room.

"Wait!" he blurted out. He felt guilty beyond hell now; it threatened to be swallowing him up whole. He continued to tremble as he stood up from the bed and walked out the door, ignoring Katherine's questions.

"Matt!" he called, running out the door and down the porch where Matt was opening his car.

"Don't apologize."

Matt sounded like if he was almost saying the words to himself.

"I'm still going to! I'm sorry and I mean it! I…"

"You have a huge interest in Tyler, okay?" the blonde said and shrugged, knowing he tried to do something about it but failed.

"I care about you, Matt. I never wanted to hurt you. I'm a horrible, terrible, evil person, I admit that!"

Matt looked at him and just shrugged again. "You're not but what's done is done."

They stayed staring at each other for a moment in silence. The trembling didn't ease and the nauseous feeling was bubbling in his stomach, almost taunting him.

"So are we…?" he asked. It was a stupid question. Anyone in his shoes would know they were over even if Matt didn't technically say it yet.

Matt licked his lips and glanced down the road, resting his upper body on the roof of his car, suddenly looking exhausted. "It's very awkward, I have to say but I'll leave it up to you. Are we?"

A lump filled his throat. Not because he had to tell the truth but because he knew after he told it, their friendship will disappear too. The only friend he'd made in this town.

"I never…saw you as more than a friend. I'm sure you probably want to ask why I accepted the relationship then. Honestly, I don't know. But all this time we've been together I've always wanted to see you as something more."

Matt returned his gaze on him. "So you do have an interest in Tyler then?"

There it was. The million dollar question he's been denying in asking himself. But he didn't want to lie to Matt anymore. "Yeah. At first I wasn't sure but then…the effect he has on me…," he trailed off.

Matt nodded. He snorted, as if he wasn't really surprised. "Tyler's always been the lady's man since middle school. I've had a girlfriend here and there but I've always felt that they just used me to be close to Tyler."

Jeremy felt low. Matt thought of him as another one of his ex-girlfriends who used him. Jeremy was now drowning in his own guilt.

"That's not it, I swear," Jeremy said while reaching for Matt's shoulder. Matt evaded Jeremy's hand without turning his gaze.

Jeremy could practically feel the eyes peeping from the windows back in the house, wanting to know what was going on. He didn't see what was so much of a show anyway.

After agonizing silence he looked up and saw Matt with a small smile on his face. Sadness in his eyes and any possible laughter surely had died already but it had been there.

Jeremy took Matt's better mood as a good sign. "Think we can still be friends?" he asked, hopeful. Any hint of joy left Matt's face and Jeremy cursed himself again for his stupidity.

"I need some time to think about today. Let's just keep things on hold for now."

He quickly nodded, some new relief easing his body at the knowledge that Matt wouldn't shove him out of the way on the spot. He'd give him the time he needed.

"See you later then," Matt said, nodding to him in a goodbye before opening the door and climbing into his car.

He watched Matt drive away moments until his car disappeared down the road.

Everyone was talking quietly in the living room and stopped, hearing him come in and close the door behind him. He glanced over at them as Katherine stood up, a worried look on her face. He guessed he didn't wear a very happy expression on his face.

He sent them a half smile before going up the stairs and to his room. He left it slightly open, knowing Katherine would come up to ask what happened, thinking Matt and he were over.

And soon enough, he heard her footsteps coming up the stairs and two light knocks on his door seconds later. Jer?"

"Come in," he said, laying down on his bed, sighing heavily.

"Everything okay?"

She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. He rolled his head and titled it downward to look at her. "We're on hold."

She looked at him sympathetically. "What happened?"

He avoided her eyes, embarrassed. "We almost had sex. Believe it or not, it was his idea. I stopped him before anything could really happen. So after I went after him, we talked…and he decided things should be on hold right now for him to think things over."

She scoffed in disbelief. "Cause you didn't want to have sex?"

"Cause he knows I have an interest in his best friend."

A long moment of silence settled in the room. He expected for the news to shock Katherine. Not because he did have an interest in Tyler but because Matt knew about it. Okay, maybe it was both.

Suddenly she began to laugh with joy. "Oh my god you do love Tyler!"

He quickly sat up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! I never said I loved him! I just said an 'interest'! There's a difference!"

"Yeah but you still admit you would like to fuck Tyler in the middle of the football field!"

"Could you say it any louder?" he growled, falling back down on the bed his face red with embarrassment. How the heck did she find that out?

He could practically feel her triumph swarming loud through the room like hundreds of bees. He wished he could have felt more irritated about it.

"So are you coming with Stefan and me to Tyler's birthday party?"

He sighed. "Matt told me about it this morning. I don't know if I should."

"You're going, the end," she said and clapped her hands together. "And since you're going, we should start looking for your outfit since you have the difficult wardrobe. And we will style your hair since you refuse a haircut. No offense."

"When did I decide I was going?"

"You didn't," she said and winked, standing up and going over to his closet, "Now, time to find you something respectable to wear. No offense."

"Whatever."

She opened the door and shuffled through his clothes, examining each piece. "And if you don't have anything good, I guess you'll have to borrow one of my dresses."

"I would rather give Tyler a kiss for his birthday."

"Please, I know you would do both."

"Whatever."

"Oh my god!" she cried, shocked.

"What?"

"This is perfect!" she turned around and showed him a dark blue Polo Ralph Lauren shirt, with the logo on the upper right side and one white and red strip below it stretching across from the sleeve down to the right side of the stomach. Jeremy winced when he saw it.

"I haven't seen this one before. Did your mom buy it? Cause honestly, I don't see you wearing this…yet."

"I'm not wearing that."

She smirked and placed a hand on her hip, keeping the shirt up with the other. "Oh yes you are. This is probably the best item in your closet—no offense—and I don't want to see you wearing another black shirt to that party."

"It's too preppy!"

"Yeah and we wouldn't want you to die if you touch it," she shot back sarcastically.

"There has to be something else you like in there! Keep looking!"

She rolled her eyes and turned around, giving into his begging.

_It's no use. She's going to make me wear it. _As a guy, Jeremy silently admitted that he didn't own anything else that fancy. His closet held dark colored shirts, hoodies, and plain jeans.

Moments later, she turned around, shaking her head in mocking sadness. "Yeah there's nothing in here even worth owning. No offense."

He glared at her. "Just because you add 'no offense' to the sentence, doesn't mean it takes the insult away. And I'm still not wearing it."

She shook her head lightly. "Men." She paused and smirked. "No offense. Okay, fine, how much do you want so you can wear it to the party?"

"I don't want money."

"Only you would answer that."

"Here," he said and got off the bed, grabbing his wallet from the nightstand. He opened it and pulled out a twenty. He walked over to her and reached it out to her. "Here's from the deal. Can you stop insisting now?"

She stared down at the bill and reached out, pushing his hand away gently. "If I deny it, can I keep going?"

"No. Take it."

"How about this? I help you with Tyler's gift if you wear it."

He sighed; annoyed that she didn't give in. He looked at the shirt and reached out to touch it, looking at the colors.

"I don't see why you can't wear it? It's dark blue not light pink," she said.

_She has a point on that. _"True…"

"So?" she asked, hopeful for the positive response.

"I guess…"

"Yes?"

"…it wouldn't hurt."

She clapped. "Good. Now try it on to see how it fits."

He rolled his eyes and placed his money back in the wallet, leaving it on the nightstand before taking the shirt from the hanger and heading over to the bathroom. He closed the door and stripped off his shirt and placed on the polo. He looked at himself in the mirror before he walked out, wanting to see how it looked on him first. It hugged just right on his lean figure, which surprised him. He had thought it would have looked either too tight or too loose on him since he hadn't worn it from the last time his mother asked him the favor to try it on too.

He then opened the door and walked out. Katherine glanced away from his closet and her mouth dropped open. "Oh my god!"

"Shut up," he mumbled, embarrassed.

She walked over to him and gave him a 180 degree examination. Then grabbed his hair and showed it back, completely revealing his forehead. "It's perfect!"

"It's alright, I guess."

She let go of his hair and placed her hands on his shoulders and looked at him in the eye. "Don't be modest. You are a handsome, talented, and smart guy and you can't show yourself as any lower than that. Ever. Especially during the party, you got that?"

He looked at her, surprised at the seriousness and caring moment. He nodded in agreement. "Got it."

She leaned away and smiled. "Now we need some bottoms to go with that."

_Ugh. _Suddenly he remembered something and got idea an. "Since I made you the favor of trying it on and wearing the shirt Saturday, mind retuning it for me?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Sure. What did you have in mind?"

He walked over to his desk and grabbed the ring, bringing it back to her to see.

He glared at her. "Did you have anything to do with this?"

She stared at it for a second and looked back at it. "Was it in your locker?"

He scoffed. "Katherine you can't just give out my information like that!"

"Calm down. It's not like I gave him your phone number."

He stared at her dangerously. "And that would be just what I needed right? More creepiness from him."

She sighed. "I'm not going to give that to him, I promise. He hasn't even asked for it honestly. Anyway, what does your favor have to do with that?"

"I want you to tell me what the symbols mean."

"More mysterious symbols, huh?"

"Well I didn't draw these, obviously."

Katherine took it from his hand looked at it. She whistled lowly. "This is a Bulgari."

"The symbols?"

She looked at him like if he was demented. "The brand. This ring is expensive; 200 hundred minimum."

"I don't care if it was from Wal-Mart! I want to know about the symbols!"

"Bet the guy hasn't even heard of Wal-Mart."

He glared at her.

"Okay, I'll get to it," she looked at the symbols on the side for a moment.

"In all honesty now, I have no idea what the symbols mean but I'm pretty sure they're old. So I'll be back with my spell book and I'll help you figure them out."

"Thanks."

"Be right back."

He went over to his chair and sat down, rolling over to the bed Katherine would be occupying.

Moments later, she came back with the heavy paperweight in her arms and closed the door behind her. She sat on the bed and gave him the ring back to hold onto to while she searched for what she needed.

"Do you think…this is some kind of culture thing for werewolves?"

"I don't think so," Katherine said without even looking up as she flew through the pages. "Probably some witch stuff or the like." She kept looking back and forth between the ring and her book while she kept turning pages.

He relaxed with that, somewhat.

Katherine came to a stop at one of the pages. He watched her as she read it over. Unfortunately, he couldn't see anything due to her having the back of the bock pointing to him. After a moment she reached out her hand for the ring. He gave it to her and she seemed to compare something.

"Oh I'm so good," she said, smirking.

"Did you find it?"

"Totally. And you can scratch what I just said. Look at this."

She balanced the open book in her lap and turned it his way. She pointed a fingernail to a hand-drawn chart of symbols and next to them seemed to what he guessed were their names, scribbled it a very uneven handwriting. Some of them looked like alphabetical letters.

"These symbols are called Runes. The werewolves use them for special occasions; for things important to them."

"Like a branding?" Jeremy didn't like the idea of being someone's property.

"That doesn't stand here," she added. "But don't worry I doubt it."

"Why?"

"Because you are not a cow," she said while rolling her eyes.

He groaned. "Okay, so what is this about?"

"Let's see…"

She laid the book back flatly on her lap and looked at the symbols on the inside of the ring for a second before looking back at the book.

"The notes say that there are probably more of them in usage but here are a few listed. One of them is 'Thurisaz'; which means conflict but with a tendency towards change."

Jeremy thought about it. "He admits what we have is a conflict."

"But he's willing to accept it," Katherine added.

"So easily? I mean…"

"It's not like he has a choice, cousin. Put yourself in his shoes for a moment and think about it. The next symbol I can find is 'Kenaz'; meaning vision, revelation, knowledge, creativity, and inspiration."

"Revelation of his transformation every full moon, and knowledge that he knows I'm his mate. Vision and creativity I don't know but inspiration to go on with what he is, left with no other option."

Katherine analyzed his version of Tyler's intentions behind the symbols. "Vision, revelation, and knowledge can come from someone who had given it to him in the first place. Creativity for art and inspiration as in _you _are his inspiration."

He looked at her like if she was crazy. "But who would give him the knowledge? He's all…"

_Alone. _

Katherine must have picked up on what he had meant to say. "Glad you're opening your mind, cousin. You'll realize you have some things in common. He likes art too."

"What?" he asked.

"Yeah I was surprised too. You don't really see football players going into those things. I don't know why he's not doing art in school anymore but I have a guess."

"Don't come with the family issues crap," Jeremy remarked.

"Would explain a lot about him."

_Jesus... _Different emotions wept over his heart. "We don't have the best family background either and we are not assholes."

"Point taken, but I thought maybe that was why he was a dick all the time before you arrived in town. I heard in class one day that he hasn't even talked a girl in quite a while. Which actually brings the next symbol into the conversation: 'Gebo'. It means to sacrifice and generosity. He really does like you."

"Yeah but he doesn't love me. Come on, he just turned 18 and had more girls than I can count. It was only a matter of time before he would run out of in-town options and every piece of fresh meat that comes rolling along the street would look good to him. You think I'm stupid?"

Katherine groaned. "Would it change things if there was more to him?"

He looked away from her. "There isn't more to him."

She simply nodded and didn't press on the subject which he was glad for.

"'Hagalaz'; wrath of nature and uncontrolled forces but the last one is the best in my opinion."

"Why? What does it mean?" He still didn't look at her.

"'Nauthiz' means 'need' and the meaning is restrictions or delays. Do I need to explain?" she laughed.

"No, I'm good." _Need for me but the restriction is Matt. _He had to admit, the guy had put thought into his choices. Albeit Jeremy was sure the need was rather Jeremy's ass than anything else. Jeremy wasn't stupid and he had ears, no way was everything he had heard made up.

"Sorry to bring it up again, but he really is willing to have you as his mate. He had these made into an expensive ring for you to have."

"He has more, I'm sure."

"Jeremy, stop being negative! A werewolf has one mate for life!"

"Oh yeah? Well what if the mate dies? I'm sure it's not going to spend mourning for the rest of its life!"

She pressed her lips into a thin line, seeming to hesitate in saying something. "It doesn't work that way."

He snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, right, as if you would know."

She suddenly placed the ring on the bed and slammed her book shut. She then stood up and walked to the door, opening it and paused. "When the mate dies, so does the other."

With that she left.

* * *

><p>The next day at school, Jeremy was in art class. He couldn't stop thinking about what Katherine had said. <em>Was it true or was she just saying that to get me towards Tyler?<em> It seemed impossible for another person, supernatural or not, to die when another person does. In real life, one part of a couple died all the time. He just couldn't grasp this concept of cause and effect. Did the person just drop dead suddenly? Or…does he or she kill themselves?

"Very interesting, Jeremy, what does your image represent?"

Jeremy glanced at his teacher who was squinting through her glassed down at his sketch. He glanced down at his work and froze.

It was another weird symbol. It was two oval shaped circles linked together with two identical snake-related shapes, one inside each oval.

"Jeremy?" his teacher called, still waiting for his answer.

"May I go to the bathroom?"

She stared at him, confused about why he ignored her but she finally nodded and told him to take the pass.

He got up and headed for the door, ignoring the curious looks of his classmates on him.

"Do you think they really broke up?" he heard someone ask as he walked out the door.

_Fucking nosy assholes. _Couldn't they have anything better to do than to talk shit about others?

He picked up the pace to the bathroom, hoping to get a cold splash of water on his face to clear his mind. He finally arrived and pushed the door open and entered…only to find Tyler washing his hands in the sink. Tyler did a double take when he saw him.

He stood, frozen, at the sight of the gorgeous werewolf.

_Your werewolf. _A familiar dark voice whispered in his head.

"Hey," he blurted out.

Tyler stared at him for a moment before he smirked, looking him over. This caused his face to heat up.

"Excuse me, can you move?" someone asked, annoyed behind him. Before Jeremy could do anything, he was shoved to the side for the guy to step into the bathroom.

Then something happened; something that Jeremy thought was a little frightening but at the same time fascinating to see. Tyler's expression darkened and he glared intensely at the guy. He went over to him and grabbed him by the collar.

"If you _ever _touch him like that again, _I will kill you_."

The guy, who looked like a freshman, looked ready to crap his pants as he stared into Tyler's murderous stare. "I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! I didn't mean it!"

"Apologize to him!"

"He doesn't have to," Jeremy said even though it came out as whisper. He watched as Tyler turned the kid to make him face him. Jeremy gasped when he saw Tyler's eyes turn amber in front of him.

"I'm sorry! I'm so fucking sorry! I take it back, man!" the boy cried, close to tears. Jeremy swallowed and stepped inside the bathroom, closing the door behind him. "Tyler let him go. He's just a kid."

Tyler stared at him, seeming to hesitate to obey. He glared down at the guy once more. Jeremy guessed, if it wasn't for the law of the land, he would have snapped the guy's neck.

"Please," he insisted, afraid they would get caught. The kid was trembling in Tyler's hands now, tears pooling in his eyes and one sliding down his face. He wouldn't blame him, if he was in his shoes, he'd die of a heart attack.

Tyler stared into his eyes as they turned back to brown.

"Tell anyone about this and you won't even know what's coming." Tyler growled at the freshman before shoving him away.

"I'm sorry!" the kid told him one more time before running out of the bathroom for his life.

The instant the guy was out sight, he was so out of Jeremy's mind. He now faced Tyler, alone in the bathroom after he had to beg for him to let another student go.

His heart picked up quicker than it had been seconds ago. He had witnessed with his own eyes a taste of Tyler's inner demon. He had expected no less with how violent it would be.

_But he did it for you. _The dark voice growled in his head.

As if he could read his mind, Tyler's eyes softened completely. "I'm sorry, Jeremy, that you had to see that but…what he did just…made me angry. I would never touch you like that."

_Touch me? _Images of the last time's detailed wet dream drifted into his mind. And to add to the humiliation, he felt his dick tighten in his jeans.

He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Tyler suddenly began to advance on him slowly, never breaking eye contact.

"Jeremy…"

_Oh god. _His back hit the door of the bathroom but he didn't make a move to escape as Tyler came closer.

Seconds later, the two boys were close enough for Jeremy to smell the werewolf's masculine scent, to feel the warm sensation of his breath upon his face.

He stood there for a moment, almost as if waiting for him to protest or shove him away. For some reason, it never came.

"Jeremy," he whispered, lustfully, a slightly shaking hand slowly reaching out and touching his cheek gently. His eyes fluttered, threatening to close the contact. Tyler's fingertips felt cool compared to his too warm skin. But Jeremy felt it wasn't enough; he needed Tyler's hand on him, all over his body and, maybe even then, it wouldn't be enough.

Tyler leaned down and Jeremy thought the moment would come where their lips finally touched, but instead, his lips lowered down to the side of his neck, his lips touching as his nose brushed along his skin. He heard him breathe deeply and a deep growl of approval hummed inside the older boy's throat.

"Mine."

_No, you're mine._

Then… the moment was broken.

Jeremy was bumped into Tyler's chest when the door suddenly opened behind him.

"Sorry! Excuse me, please!" a guy said from the other side.

Jeremy quickly shoved Tyler away and pulled the door open, pushing past the guy and running to art class just as the bell began to ring.

For the rest of the school day, he couldn't think of anything else one but two words: _Holy. Shit. _

After school that day, Jeremy rode along in the back as Katherine and Stefan made romantic faces at each other, not seeming to let his presence get in the way. He kept his gaze on the window, watching the houses pass before them. When they arrived home, Stefan came along with Katherine into the house, enjoying the weekend to be with each other. Jenna announced she ordered Chinese take out for dinner, which was hard for him to swallow. All he could think about was the incident in the bathroom — both of them. But the one that stuck to him the most was the second; Tyler being so close to him and touching him like he was made of glass when he was ready to chew the freshman's head off moments before.

_And those eyes…_

They had been scary as hell to witness the sudden change but he couldn't help but have felt wonder and fascination too. For a moment he had been more than tempted to go over and touch Tyler's face. He was so deep into his thoughts; he didn't hear his aunt calling to him until she felt her hand on his shoulder.

He glanced at her. "Huh?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You're out of it completely today. Something on your mind?"

Katherine and Stefan were watching him. Katherine was staring at him like if he was trying to read his mind. She imagined something happened today at school and she wanted to know about it.

He turned back to Jenna and forced a smile. "Just thinking about school."

They stared at him, not convinced. He probably couldn't to save his life.

"I'm going to get a head start on the homework, but the food was great, thank you," he said standing up and heading over to place the dishes in the sink.

"But you barely even touched it!" Jenna protested.

"Wasn't really hungry today; I'll eat better later. Thanks for the ride, Stefan."

He excused himself and walked out of the kitchen, grabbing his bag on the way out, before they could continue to question him.

Once in his room, he practically threw his back pack across the room and went to the bathroom. He didn't dare go back into the school's bathroom; scared as hell Tyler would be waiting for him in there the whole time. Ridiculous, but he knew the jock was probably desperate enough to continue what they had started.

After drying his hands off, he went to his desk and sat down, opening his screen and turning it on. He saw the power button light was flickering so he plugged the computer in to charge.

When it booted up, he went on the internet and typed in 'werewolf's weakness'.

He swallowed his guilt and uncomfortable emotions. Borrowing Katherine's words, in all honesty he wasn't sure why he was even searching this, but if he was going to the party tomorrow night — Tyler's party — he would feel a lot better having something as a backup.

* * *

><p>Note: Review time! :D<p> 


	34. A Very Lockwood Birthday

First Time for Everything

Chapter 34

Note: Rebecca is a stank ass ho who needs to die. If that bitch had come out naked or something as her little "surprise" for Tyler, I would have lost it lol god. I saw someone comment on YouTube that she doesn't think that the ho wants Tyler romantically but just so she can manipulate Tyler go join the dark side. She's already doing it with offering Tyler to drink directly from humans so…yeah. But we all know _Jeremy _will be there to save our hot werewolf guy XP

Ks: Thank you! :D Hope you like how it turns out!

* * *

><p>Kyle hated school now that Jeremy wasn't with him. Nobody wanted to talk to him, ignored him when he went up to them, and left the table he decided to go sit at during lunch. Life. Sucked. Ass. At least before some girls would pretend to ask him an important question about homework so they could look at Jeremy as they walked down the hallway to their next class. Worse of all now, he had another year of P.E. He wasn't good at sports, and nobody wanted him on their team. On the bright side, it was the last year he had to go through it.<p>

He walked down the halls of the school and up the stairs to the Saturday school room, a fancy name for 'detention on a Saturday', where all the students got detention the day before and no teachers were willing to sacrifice their Friday afternoons to babysit troublemakers. Not that he was a troublemaker. He'd gotten detentions before but the reason behind this one was probably the worst he's ever done. Kyle had been minding his own business when he heard someone whisper the word 'fag' behind him in his ear. Panicked and angry that someone had found out somehow, he grabbed his chemistry book and hit the guy in the head with it.

The asshole, unfortunately, wasn't hurt seriously but he hoped he had left a good bruise. After the teacher sent him to the principle, he had been ordered to stay in the office until his mother arrived. The principle talked about what he had done and that he would be issued detention the next day from 8 am to 2:20 pm, working on homework or reading a book silently until noon, where he and the rest of the gang would then go around campus to pick up trash.

He sighed when he came to a stop in front of the door and turned the knob, opening it and peeking inside. No one was in sight and he was half tempted to suddenly make a break for it, but that would just earn him double. He swore under his breath at his conscience and stepped inside, leaving the door slightly open. He got the seat in the very back and opened his backpack, pulling out his math book and opening it up where he had a few problems finished. He took out a pencil and began to work on the rest, wondering when he decided to turn all responsible.

A couple of minutes later, two guys came along and looked around. They looked at him and asked, "Where did the person go?"

"I barely got here so I don't even know who it is," he replied, shrugging before going back to his work.

The two guys sat down in the middle and continued their conversation. Kyle looked up and saw they had not brought anything to pass the time but it would be their problem when the staff member arrived.

Awhile later, he heard the door open again and looked up to see who it was.

_Oh…_

"Sorry, I'm late. I'm Brent Morris and I'll be filling in for my father for a while; he had a family emergency," he paused and looked at the three of them with a frown as he placed down his things on the table. "Is this all of you? I remember there were more names."

He opened a black leather brief cause and pulled out a piece of paper.

"One, two, three, four, five, six…" he trailed off and looked back up at them. He suddenly shrugged. "Up to them not to show up. Can I get your names, please?"

"Terry," one of the guys said, sounding bored.

"Ryan."

When Brent looked at him next, he lowered his gaze down to his textbook. "Kyle Johnson, sir."

His eyes widened when the words slipped out. The Brent guy couldn't have been older than 25 judging by his appearance; half of him expected for Brent to laugh at his formal reply but instead he just moved on.

"Alright so here are the rules I've been given for you guys: no talking, bathroom breaks are every two hours so go now if you need to, and if during the time you're out you decide to leave the building, you will automatically be suspended. How long? It doesn't say, so it's a surprise."

Kyle smirked at the guy's humor.

"Anyway, you are only allowed to do homework and read a book if you finish. At noon, you guys will go around school, picking up trash until detention is over at 2:20. Any questions?"

Terry raised his hand. Brent pointed at him.

"What if you already did your homework at home?"

"Then did you bring a book?"

"No."

"I see your friend didn't bring one either. Fine, then I'll give you a chance to go to the library to pick one out. Choose one that will also be long enough to at least last until noon. I want you two back in twenty minutes. Go."

Both guys then stood up and quickly went out the door, their heavy footsteps fading a few seconds later.

Kyle realized Brent and him were alone in the same room. He noticed Brent was looking at him curiously for a moment before clearing his throat and walking around to the desk and sat down in the old, worn, black chair.

"Good to know I'll be having someone who actually thinks today," he said.

He let out a soft snort. "I've seen worse."

"So have I," he said, sending a smirk his way before digging into a different bag and pulling out a heavy-looking text book. Kyle's gaze slid down to his blue shirt that read "Jackson University". He did a quick calculation in his head; if Brent lived in Florida, then the guy would live maybe no longer than 4 hours away from Spring Hill, unless he had finished his career and decided to move into the city not too long ago.

They were in silence now that Brent had gone into doing his own homework. Kyle bent down over his work again and tried to concentrate. He didn't know how he could feel this way for someone who he only just met. Not just that, but he'd seen plenty of cute guys—though he hadn't talked to any guys at all yet—in Central High.

Terry and Ryan both came back moments later, each carrying a novel. He wondered if they even knew how to read properly.

As minutes passed as they stayed in silence, the only sound coming from was the soft sound of the air conditioner from one of the walls.

After staring blankly at the same math problem, for what it seemed like forever, he stopped trying and just pretended to be thinking as he glanced through his lashes at Brent. He remembered the guy had dark blue eyes, perfectly going in contrast with his curly light-red hair piled into a small pile on top of his forehead. He wore faded jeans along with his blue university t-shirt and a small golden hoop earring in his right ear. The guy was amazingly gorgeous in his eyes.

Before he could stop it his mind let Brent rise from the chair and walk over to him. He captured Kyle's mouth in a scorching kiss and sucked along his neck. Before he knew it both of them were naked. Brent lay with his back on the table and Kyle was pounding into him. Brent moaned and smiled with each of Kyle's thrusts.

As if reading his mind, Brent glanced over at him; their eyes making contact for a few seconds before Kyle quickly lowered his gaze again, face hot with embarrassment, unaware that Brent had been thinking the same thing about him.

* * *

><p>He was lying on the grass, staring up at the cloudless blue sky as he felt the wind blow around him. He felt at peace; something he hadn't truly felt in his life. He rolled his head to the side and saw Jeremy also watching the sky next to him. When he felt his gaze on him, he turned so their eyes met. I could see him trying to smile, but his lips could only form what it could—what his brain could go upon. He's never seen the young boy smile so he couldn't know how magnificent it could really be.<p>

"You're finally here," he said, grinning lazily over to the younger boy. Their hands touched but Jeremy's hand felt…distant. At his words, Jeremy's half smile disappeared as his gaze fell upon the grass below.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday baby Tyler…"

_What…?_

His eyes opened and the first thing he saw was his mom, holding a small-sized, birthday cake, smiling, and… singing.

"…happy birthday to you!" she finished.

He groaned, wanting to keep sleeping. He had the urge to tell his mom to leave but then he remembered how, thanks to him, she almost died and he had probably stolen her a few years of her life. Pain shot into his heart as he opened his eyes again and stared into his mother's smiling face. He owed this and so much more to her now, even though nothing he'll ever do will fix what he did, but the closest thing would be to make the most of it.

He sat up and moved his legs around to the floor, giving her the best thank you smile he could muster.

"Someone's been practicing."

She laughed. "I'm glad it shows."

Swallowing down the painful emotions, he looked down at the lighted candles.

"Your father wished he could be here but had some last minute business this morning."

_When doesn't he ever?_

He focused on the candles and immediately knew what he wished for—_desired _for more than anything else in the world. Only question was; did he have a better chance of dying tomorrow?

He closed his eyes and blew out the candles.

"I finally found them."

Tyler opened his eyes and glanced behind his mother at Mason as he came in with paper plates, forks, and a cutting knife.

"Cake for breakfast?" he asked.

His mother turned around so his uncle could cut the first slice.

"Why not? Anyway it's not going to kill you if you do this once a year. Plus you work out like a lunatic at practice."

His uncle passed the first slice to him, handing him the fork. He thanked him and sliced off a small piece of the treat with his fork, popping it into his mouth. He savored the delicious taste of chocolate in his mouth, and began to wonder if Jeremy's lips would taste better. He could have gotten the answer yesterday in the school bathroom but for some reason he had gone for his throat instead, as if seeming to want to save that moment for next time. But then, thinking about it now, it had been a stupid move; maybe there wasn't going to be a next time.

His uncle cut through his thoughts as he called to him. He saw him reach into his pocket and pull out a couple of shiny squared objects.

"This is for you. Happy birthday, nephew."

Tyler placed down his fork and took it. He saw it was 5 pre-paid visa cards, each worth a hundred bucks each.

"Thank you, Uncle Mason."

His mother gave him his piece of cake and he took it eagerly. He lifted the slice with his hand and bite into it, making his mother roll her eyes at him.

"You're welcome," he said, with his mouth full.

"God, help me," he heard his mother mumble, but with an amused smile on her face as she tried to cut her slice with one hand. Mason quickly placed his plate down and helped her.

"I'll be giving you the gift from your father and I during the party. I know you'll love it."

"No doubt," he said, smiling.

He placed his uncle's gift next to him and continued to eat. Mason ended up eating four slices with one hand.

"Mason, I don't see how you can be so fit with that appetite of yours," his mother commented with disbelief as she finished only half her slice.

He smirked and flexed his bicep. "Man, power, Caroline."

She shook her head, waving the comment off.

"So how many did you end up inviting?" Mason asked him.

"At least twenty people. People I get along with most at school."

After eating, they all helped bring everything downstairs to the kitchen.

"Since the party will be starting at six, the chiefs will be here two before. The waiters will be here around four as well."

"Cool," he said. "What's going to be on the menu tonight?"

"You will see. Also don't you guys shower right now? Wait until later but if you're going to shower now then don't dress up until a little before the guests arrive. I'll tell you when to go change."

He closed his eyes when the familiar sensation of anxiety swept through him; the feeling that he had to do something or he wouldn't be able to sit still. He needed something to focus on specifically.

"Up for a run?" he asked Mason.

He covered the rest of the cake with tin foil and placed it into the fridge. He looked at him, surprised. "Now?"

"Now," He confirmed, giving him a hard look. "I have the urge for some exercise."

He understood that and nodded. "Sure."

"Fine, don't burden yourselves with the calories with me," his mother called, teasing, dumping the plates and forks in the trash as they went upstairs to change.

After, they walked out and to the woods.

"Shouldn't we warm up first?" he asked.

Mason shook his head. "We always are."

Their run lasted for a good two hours with small five minute breaks every half hour. When they finished, Tyler panted as he glanced over at where they had come from, still feeling the urge to keep going.

"It hasn't stopped?" Mason asked, panting as well as he leaned against the rock of the old property.

"No."

He watched as he glanced over where he had been a second ago, calculating. "I guess I can go for another round."

"It's fine. I can go on my own."

Mason eyed the now empty third bottle of water. "I'll bring you back three more."

"Thanks. I'll see you later."

With that, he took off.

* * *

><p>Tyler's party started almost an hour ago but Katherine told it was 'desperate to arrive on time', which he thought was completely stupid, but Jenna just had to listen to her on it so she told them they would wait. Jeremy's heart was beating widely in exhaustion as he steadied himself on the toilet. Again. He's been keeping the music from his Ipod speakers loud enough that it would cover up the noise but low enough that neither one of the girls had to stop by his room to tell him to lower it and risk them to overhear. On any another other day, he would have gladly let everyone hear him puke his guts out as an excuse to stay home from the party, but he wanted to go tonight. He told himself it was because either way Katherine would tie him up and take him along so he wouldn't think about the real reason.<p>

After another few minutes with no signs of continuing nausea he stood up slowly and went over to the sink to wash off his mouth before brushing his teeth. He hesitated with the mouth wash but was afraid of people cringing away from his any trace of vomit breath.

He walked out of the bathroom and spotted his secret weapon sitting on his desk. It had been a challenge to convince Jenna to give him a ride to the flower shop downtown the day before, with the excuse that he needed one for a project in one of his classes but not tell Katherine about it. In the end, she had given in and told Katherine they were going to get something he needed from the crafts store. He was sure with Stefan there; she wouldn't give it too much thought about what he was up to.

* * *

><p>Inside the store, Jeremy had given the cashier lady his slip of paper with the name of the flower on it. She looked down at the name for a second.<p>

"Do you have any in stock, please?"

She nodded as she gazed at him with beady little black eyes. She then motioned for him to follow as Jenna looked around at other things in the store. He followed the woman into an isle and came to a stop at a basket with flowers that were bunched up together. But there it was. Wolfsbane.

"How many did you need?" she asked.

"One's fine."

"Big or small?"

He thought about this for a second; he would need to hide it secretly, best place his jeans pocket. "Small's fine."

She grabbed a small sized one out of the basket carefully and walked back to the cash register. He paid her and they left. Jenna hadn't asked anything about it; only commented on being a 'weird looking flower plant'. If only she knew what it was for.

After the visit to the flower shop, Jenna had suggested the 'Shop Stop' store where, according to her, sold all kinds of items for any occasion. Jeremy had looked around and found mostly girly things. Jenna told him there were items for boys on the second floor. He took her word for it and they went upstairs, checking out to check out the merchandise. There were items for all ages, even for babies and toddlers. He was about to give up on it when he came to the jewelry section. He looked at what they had and from Christian crosses to daring satanic symbols.

"Hello, anything I can help you find?" a girl asked.

He looked up at her. The bored looking teenage girl stared back at him, chewing gum and twirling a strand of black hair between her fingers, waiting for his answer.

He thought about it. "Cocky, rich 18th year old guy?"

"You talking about Tyler Lockwood, aren't you?"

His eyes widened. "How'd you know?"

"His birthday is the biggest talk of the town. He always is in general, being the mayor's only son. But okay, I think I can find you something."

She motioned for him to follow and he did. She brought him over to the more expensive section of the collection. "Oh, sorry, I can't afford this type…"

He trailed off when he glanced at the next glass display. She must have seen his extreme sudden interest in it as she walked over to it.

"That is out supernatural type jewelry. Like we have wolf stuff and vampire stuff and ghost stuff…and so forth."

Jeremy had come over and looked at everything slowly, his eyes trailing over each item, feeling hypnotized. He knew he shouldn't be there but he felt the desire to look. _Only look. _

His eyes then stopped on a particular item; ironically, a ring. It was white with sapphire coloring inside, the pattern of a craved in, hunched back wolf, followed by a rectangle.

"How much is that?" he asked.

She grabbed her keys and opened the small door, reaching inside and pulling the ring out. "It says thirty five, even."

Jeremy pressed his lips together; it was a pretty costly ring. _It's not like I'm going to buy it…_

"Is it real silver?"

"Yeah but it's covered with white painted titanium. Wanna look at it?"

Jeremy took it from her and examined it. He admitted this was cheap compared to how much value an ounce of silver was worth.

"For you, I'll make it twenty."

Jeremy looked up at her in surprise as she stared at him with a shy smile on her face, eyeing his body.

_How awkward can you get? _"Um…thanks?"

Jeremy looked down at the ring, ignoring her eyes on him. There had been nothing else that interested him in the store. He could have just bought him a plain ring from another display but he felt it wouldn't compare to how he felt with this one. The irony of pulling the same stunt Tyler did.

"I'll take it," he said, just wanting to get away from the girl.

In the end, Jenna had bought Tyler a twenty five dollar visa card and a card.

* * *

><p>He took his shirt and jeans from his bed and began to dress. He was able to smell the fresh soap on his skin from the shower as he slipped on his shirt. Katherine hadn't been able to find kakis or something else to dress up his lower body. For a moment, she had considered going shopping but he had promised her if they wouldn't, he would be extra nice to Tyler when they got there. He had nothing to lose anyway if he would only had to greet and congratulate Tyler which would probably take—what?—less than minute?<p>

He skipped on the cologne and checked what he could in his bathroom mirror. He was sure Katherine would be waiting to tell him if anything needed fixing. He then heard Jenna calling them from her room next door, asking if they were ready.

He grabbed the stick of wolfsbane from the desk and stuck it inside his pocket and turned off the music from his stereo before leaving the room.

"I'm ready," he replied.

Katherine then stepped out from her room. She wore a bubble-like, knee high dress with a black ribbon tied around her waist. She left her hair down and decided to go with simple eyeliner and red lipstick, to complete with small, black diamond earrings.

She glanced at him and smiled, eyeing his outfit. "Very nice, cousin. You're going to totally have his attention."

"Shut up."

Her expression turned thoughtful and she walked over to him, her heeling clicking on the wooden floor. She stopped in front of him and leaned in close.

"What are you doing?"

"You didn't wear cologne? Why?"

"Why not?"

She sighed and pulled him back inside his room. Jenna called to them she was almost done. Katherine pulled to the bathroom and grabbed his Hugo Boss cologne his grandfather got him for his last birthday. Barely every using it, the bottle was almost full. She sprayed him a few times and placed the bottle back behind the mirror, checking him over again.

"Did you brush your teeth?"

"Duh."

"Let me see."

He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, blowing out some air as she leaned in close. She narrowed her eyes in thought. "It's okay but, just in case, let's do this…"

She opened her small black purse and pulled out a pack of mints. She opened her small black purse and got out a stick of gum, giving it to him. "Chew it until we arrive at the mansion. It's not formal to chew gum." She then took a bottle of what Jeremy could only guess was hair-gel and began running her hands through his hair.

"Why? Because it's a Lockwood party?" he mumbled while he let her play around with his hair and pushing it back.

"Part of it but also it's just simply informal. Gum is only to be chewed in public on any other occasion but a formal party or reunion."

"Fine."

"Did you wear deodorant?"

"Yes, I did, mom. Anything else?"

She gave him a look when suddenly the doorbell rang, making her smile. He guessed the one word: Stefan.

"I'll get it!" she said and walked quickly out of his room. He rolled his eyes and glanced at his reflection in the mirror – his forehead was now completely free and all his hair pushed backwards - one more time before heading out of his room just in time to see Jenna come out of her room in her pajamas with Tyler's small gift bag in her hand.

"Are you sure you don't wanna go? Mason will be there."

"Oh lord not that again. Listen, hun, at the game, I still felt he was just like my older brother. He's sweet, funny, smart—etc, etc—but my heart just tells me he's not the one for me. That, and Mason would have told me something already, if he was truly interested in me."

That instantly reminded him of Matt. _Older brother who's sweet, funny and smart…but heart telling me he's not the one. _

"I guess but…"

She held up a finger, telling him it was the end of the discussion on Mason.

"Besides, those parties aren't for me. I'll be fine here. I'm going to see get caught up with that new zombie TV show, _The Walking Dead_."

He smiled, amused. "Didn't think of you as the type for gore, Aunt Jenna."

"You'd be surprised," she said, winking. She then looked him over, giving him thumbs up. "You look so handsome."

He smiled shyly. "Thank you…," he motioned to her all yellow outfit. "You do too in those banana pajamas."

"Banana pajamas, huh? I like it. Here," she said, giving him the gift bag.

He heard Stefan and Katherine talking downstairs by the door. He walked to the end of the stairs and leaned his arm against the railing as he stared down at Stefan. He ended up wearing a black tuxedo with a white shirt underneath and a simple black tie, and had simply combed his hair neatly instead of slicking it back with gel like Jeremy's.

Stefan looked up and greeted Jenna with a smile. "Sure you're not coming, Mrs. Sommers?"

She smiled back. "I'm sure, thanks Stefan."

Jeremy's gaze slid over to Katherine as he wondered if she ever told Stefan about what was going on with Tyler but that would have been a very stupid move on her part. But judging by his excitement and no signs of weirdness from the jock, he'd have to suppose she hadn't.

Katherine gave him a knowing smile of what's up head for him. He didn't know why she had to act that way about this; it wasn't like he was going to stick around Tyler the whole night. Anyway, he had a feeling Matt would be there, even after what happened two days ago.

"Ready?" Stefan asked him.

"As I'll ever be."

* * *

><p>Jenna watched from the door as Stefan's car drove away. Her hand reached up to touch her stomach. Something told her it wasn't a usual upset stomach. This was more like…a premonition. Her mind had immediately thought of one person: Jeremy. Her first instinct was to stop Jeremy from going but she couldn't just tell him not to go without a logical reason. Anyway, he would resent her for keeping him with her the whole night with her instead of going out on a Saturday night. She just had to trust Katherine would keep an eye on him.<p>

She sighed and returned back into the house. If trouble was on the way, she had better make some chocolate pudding with raspberry sauce. They were going to need it.

* * *

><p>Mason stood next to his sister-in-law as he watched the steaming food served in giant tin foiled containers and covered so it would keep them warm as waiters helped carry it out to the tables where the buffet table had been set up. He would have been eager to dig in; only problem being the strong ingredients that filled his nose, almost making him feel nauseous as his senses doubled the smell.<p>

"Smells amazing, Carol," he commented as calmly as possible, while on the inside, he was ready to run out of there. The chiefs had offered to do the cooking at the mansion and his sister-in-law had agreed without a second thought. There were many teenage and older waiters, coming in and out for more silver trays of glasses filled with different varieties of wine for the older guests.

"Thank you, Mason. I'm so glad you're here to celebrate Tyler's birthday with us."

"It's no problem. I like it here."

He knew it was a half lie. He didn't like it anywhere. He'd never been able to find a place where he belonged ever since he killed his best friend, Jimmy, by accident and had been cursed to turn into a werewolf every full moon. He's always been afraid of someone finding out about his secret or end up hurting someone during a full moon. But helping his nephew with something he can relate to, has been making him feel slowly at ease which gave him a purpose to stay longer and get a job in town.

He caught sight of Tyler making conversation with guests and thanking them for their gifts as they left them at the table they had set up for it. It was almost full as the invited guests kept coming in. Mason could recognize almost all of them.

"Looks like it's time to bring out the charm," he observed, smirking as he noticed the pretty women gathering in the room next door.

"Just be careful with whom you talk to," she warned, unaware she was giving him a firm look.

He nodded and touched her arm briefly, excusing himself before walking out of the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Tyler eyed the dinner table; his mom had overdone herself like she did every year—if not even more. Being this 18th birthday, he remembered her telling him it would be more special than all the other ones before. For the appetizers his mom had chosen prime rib steak bites with bloody Mary dipping sauce. Next to it were platters of treats such as flat breads, crackers, Italian salami slices, fresh mozzarella and provolone cheeses, grape tomatoes, and variety of olives. And last there were plates of ham and cheese finger sandwiches with Gouda cheese and bite sized watercress with Dijon mustard topped with thinly sliced apples.<p>

For the main entrée she'd chosen tea smoked chicken under a bed of lettuce, served with options of sauces and lime, Mediterranean pasta with penne pasta and chicken saltimbocca rolled with spinach and prosciutto slices on plates and drizzled with saltimbocca mushroom sauce. His mom told him dessert would come out later once everyone was done eating but it would end up being chocolate covered peanut butter cheese cake pops and miniature cream puffs filled with French vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry cream.

A few girls then came up to him to flirt_. _While he tried his best to look even mildly interested, he couldn't help it as he glanced over at the entrance for what it seemed like the hundredth time. It was only a little more than an hour into the party and he kept hoping to see Jeremy coming in through the double doors every time. Instead who he found was pretty shocking; Matt and Vicky.

"Excuse me, ladies," he told them, walking away as he ignored the disappointed whines.

He stared as his best friend who was carrying a gift in his hand.

"You didn't have to," Tyler said, taking it.

Matt simply shrugged, trying hard to keep a smile on his face. His senses told him his best friend was anything but happy. When the blond didn't say anything, he awkwardly turned to Vicky, wondering if Matt told her about what was going on.

"Hey, Vicky. Glad you came too."

She smiled. _Guess not. _"Of course. Why wouldn't I be here? 18? That's a lot to celebrate!"

A waiter passed by next to Matt and the blonde quickly reached out and took it, the waiter not even glancing back to check who it was. "Don't mind if I do."

"Actually I do," Tyler said, taking the glass away. "My father doesn't want for us to drink. He doesn't want any trouble happening on the property."

"I was just going to have one," he almost seemed to snap at him. Vicky looked at him in disbelief.

"Mattie, you don't have to get drunk to have fun."

"Looks who's talking."

_Whoa. _Vicky's mouth dropped open, hurt filling her eyes at his comment. Vicky was once known to drink and get high after her parents left her with Matt. But they key word was 'once'. Even if she had still been that way today, she was Matt's sister and it wouldn't have been brotherly to use it against her, especially in public.

"So are you going to give it to me or not?" Matt asked, impatient.

Tyler gave him a firm look. "No; mostly because you're acting like a dick right now."

"Matt, what's wrong with you?" she whispered to him.

"Nothing."

With that he turned and walked away, grabbing another wine glass from a passing waiter before heading in the direction of the outside balcony.

Vicky bit her lip, worried and embarrassed for her brother's strange behavior. "I'm so sorry, Tyler. He's been like this for a few days now and I can't get any answers for him."

He walked up to her and placed a gentle reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry; he's probably stressed with school. I'll talk to him later when he calms down."

"Well let's just hope he's just sober enough to listen."

* * *

><p>Mason had gone to his room to change out of his tuxedo; never liking to dress that formally. Being part of werewolf society for so long, he's never come to live up to his family name. He changed into his fitted jeans and a plain, white, button up shirt, making him feel cooler temperature wise. He had practically been cooking himself inside the tux; that, and the strong scents coming from the dinner choices his brother's wife had chosen, had made him feel dizzy and even a little sick to his stomach; one of the cons that came with being a werewolf. Tyler seemed strangely unaffected by it all.<p>

He went down the stairs and immediately eyes were on him; most being female.

"He's so gorgeous," he heard a woman gasp out.

"He looks nothing like his brother," another said.

"Oh I know! Are you sure they're related?"

His ears also picked up some from the men.

"I don't get what's so awesome about him."

"I heard he's not into politics like this brother. He even works as one of the Game wardens for the town."

"So what? That doesn't make him special. Women just want him because they think he's hot."

"And he's rich."

"Dude, who's side are you on?"

The women rushed over to him, telling him how good he looked and how they were happy to see him back in town.

"Are you staying permanently?" one asked.

"Right now I'm working here in town, so I'll be staying for a while but I don't know exactly how long."

It wasn't a lie. Mason planned to stay until Tyler settled down with Jeremy after going through his father's blind fury of knowing his son wanted to settle down with another male. Jeremy would eventually accept Tyler; Mason had no doubt about that.

"Are you single, Mr. Lockwood?" another woman asked him, eagerly.

He had to smirk at that. "Please, call me Mason and for the moment, I am."

He didn't hear the women practically squeal when a sudden scent filled his nose. There was a certain fruit in the air he couldn't recognize, mixed with a certain deep musky scent. His wolf began to growl inside of him, awoken from its slumber without the help of the full moon.

"Mason?" someone asked, placing a hand on his arm. He looked down at a girl, looking up at him questionably. He realized the women were still there, watching and asking him more questions.

"My apologies, ladies, I have to go," he said and gave them a quick smile before heading to find his nephew. _No fucking way could it be what I think it is. _

His nephew was talking to a girl he didn't recognize. He went up to them.

"I'm sorry, I have to borrow Tyler for a moment, Miss…"

He froze. He narrowed his eyes at her when he smelled the earlier scent. It was coming from her.

He could feel Tyler's eyes on him, feeling something was up.

"Vicky Donovan and that's okay. I was going to go outside and wait for someone, anyway. Happy birthday, Tyler."

"Thank you."

She smiled and waved, walking towards the entrance, his eyes never leaving the back of her head.

"What's wrong?" Tyler demanded, lowly.

He tore his eyes away from the girl. "Who was _that_?"

His eyes glanced in the direction of the double doors. "You mean Vicky?"

Mason looked around at the curious eyes that watched them. "Follow me."

He turned and headed to an empty balcony. Tyler stepped outside after him and closed the door behind them. "Alright, let's hear it."

He didn't hold it back as he leaned heavily against the railing. "I think that Vicky girl is my mate."

* * *

><p>Caroline managed to find a spot close by the mansion. She had chosen a formal, but plain black dress to not bring her any unnecessary attention, especially since the town recognized her as the sheriff's daughter. She needed to blend in while she was at work. After Steven had given her the best orgasms of her life not long ago, she was more determined than ever to successfully complete the mission.<p>

She walked to the mansion and up the steps and greeted, smiling at everyone who greeted and smiled first. Inside, the delicious aroma of food was roaming through the air, making her stomach growl.

_No harm in starting after. _

She tried a little of everything and found the large ice box with soda after getting refused wine from several waiters, finding her own spot on the couch in the living room to enjoy her food, after greeting Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood instead, not able to find Tyler.

She glanced around as she ate, realizing she had yet to spot Jeremy Gilbert there too. With the fact that she also had not caught sight of neither Stefan nor the bitch Katherine, she guessed they hadn't arrived yet. Fine with her, she wanted to finish her dinner in peace, anyway. In the moment of relaxing and enjoying her meal, she didn't come to see a pair of eyes glaring heatedly at her from the entrance.

* * *

><p>Daniel eased back outside, leaning forward against the cement railing. He couldn't spent time inside without Tyler spotting him and end up kicking his ass out. That's when he spotted Jeremy, walking towards the mansion with Katherine and her boyfriend, Stefan. <em>Perfect. <em>

He waited until Jeremy was coming up the stairs that he reached out and grabbed onto the younger boy's arm. Jeremy jerked in surprise and glanced at him.

"Can I talk to you for a sec, please?"

Katherine and Stefan stopped a few steps ahead. Katherine saw him and glared.

"Let him go. Now."

He ignored her, keeping his eyes on Jeremy, putting on his best begging 'good guy' face.

Jeremy looked between him and Katherine, unsure of what to do.

"Daniel." Stefan said firmly, taking a step forward in warning.

"Please, Jeremy. I just want to talk, I swear."

Jeremy saw the people outside with them were watching them, wondering what was going on. He finally gave in.

"Fine."

"Jeremy…"

Jeremy interrupted her, giving them a nod. "I'll be fine. You guys go inside."

Before she could say anything else, Jeremy pulled away from Daniel and motioned for him to follow him away from the watching eyes.

"Hey, don't you dare do or say anything to him or you'll come to regret it," she hissed lowly for only them to hear before gripping Stefan's arm and pulling him inside.

* * *

><p>Jeremy hoped it wasn't some stupid trick to make fun of him. He was being nice, giving the guy the chance to say what he needed to say, which hopefully was an apology. He stopped on the grass, where he made sure they would have privacy. He watched Daniel jog over to him.<p>

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I wanted to say, I'm sorry."

_Whoa. _"Huh?"

"For my behavior last time. I know I shouldn't be someone I'm not for other people but Steven is my best friend, you know?"

Jeremy eyed him, wondering if he was serious. When the guy didn't burst out laughing after a moment of silence, he nodded slowly. "A true best friend is someone who accepts you no matter what, though. I don't think Steven is a good person to be friends with, anyway; he likes to hurt people."

Jeremy couldn't understand the emotions playing in the guy's eyes as he nodded, as if agreeing with him. Or at least wanting to.

"You know, I just realized we have something in common."

He raised an eyebrow in question. "Which is…?"

"We both love someone who's forbidden."

His mouth dropped open in shock but he quickly tried to play it off innocently. "Matt is not forbidden; I don't know what you're talking about. I'm going now."

As he passed him, the guy reached out and took his arm again, but this time it was more gentle. "I know you're interested in Lockwood."

Jeremy gasped, panicked that the guy knew. That _someone, _other than Katherine and Matt, knew he was interested in Tyler.

"But it's okay because, believe it or not, I'm interested in Steven. I would do anything for him. So I'll keep your secret if you keep mine."

Jeremy looked at the guy in the eye. "You like Steven?"

"I love him, actually."

Daniel released him and glanced off to the side, seeming to suddenly lost in thought. "It was Steven's 13th birthday party, when I would come to realize it. We were playing spin the bottle down in the basement since he ordered his parents to leave them alone. Steven told us, we had to kiss anyone that the bottle landed on, not matter if it landed on the same gender."

"Holy shit…so…"

He smiled. "Steven's spin was the one to land on me. Everyone cracked up about it cause everyone knew we were best friends."

"How did he react?"

"Surprisingly, like if I was another girl, but then we were all drunk since he stole a bottle of his father's stash. Though I can say the feelings I felt during the kiss were not from the alcohol. I was not that drunk…yet."

Jeremy felt a sudden pang of sympathy for the guy. He knew what it was like to keep such a deep secret from the world, afraid of being judged and hated.

"Do you every think you're going to tell him?"

Daniel turned back to him, giving him a smirk. "Maybe one day," he glanced in the direction of the mansion. "You can go now."

He nodded, still feeling sympathy for him. "I hope everything comes out for you."

With that, he turned and walked back towards the mansion.

* * *

><p>"What?" Tyler managed to gasp out.<p>

"You heard me."

He shook his head, the thought of Vicky being his uncle's mate seemed impossible.

"But she's seventeen."

"Age does not matter; the wolf wants who the wolf wants."

"But, she doesn't even know you…"

"Well, you and Jeremy didn't know each other either."

Tyler frowned. "Fine, so what do you plan to do now?"

Mason thought about it for a moment. "Try to ignore it. For now, anyway. This could be the last time I even see her."

He considered this. "I don't hang out with Vicky or anything. I only talk to her when I would come over to Matt's house but I haven't done that in a while. But why ignore it? I mean, unlike mine, your wolf wants a girl."

"Like you mentioned before, she's seventeen. That should be reason enough."

Mason leaned off the railing and walked back over to the door. He opened it and stopped. "Jeremy's here."

* * *

><p>Tyler gave him a firm shove so he could move inside, spotting Jeremy trying to half carry a drunken Matt out the door. All the guests in the room watched and whispered to each other in shock, knowing perfectly well the blonde was the birthday boy's best friend.<p>

"Don't!" Mason said, putting a hand out in front of him to block his way. "Let them talk things out."

He wanted to ignore his uncle and push past him to help but agreed to stay, listening from a distance just in case anything went wrong. His wolf was angry but not because he wanted to go to help, but because he wanted Jeremy to stay away from Matt.

"Tyler!" someone called to him, walking up quickly to his side. It was Guillermo, one of his classmates from American Government. He was one of the people he invited for having a similar personality to Matt.

Tyler gave him the best friendly smile he could, trying to concentrate politely on what the guy was saying. "Hey, man, enjoying the party?"

"Excuse me," Mason said, walking away to let them talk.

"How could I not? You have great food and there are _a lot_ of hot girls here."

Tyler turned back to Guillermo and frowned in confusion. He had invited mostly nice girls, though there probably was an occasional decent female, not that he could remember.

"What hot girls?"

"Duh, man! Look around!"

Tyler did and saw a couple of _older _women, gathered in small groups and giggling occasionally about something, though most looked older than twenty.

"Oh…yeah," he lied, not wanting to burst the guy's bubble.

"I wanna go talk to one but I don't know what to say. I was hoping you would be my coach," he said, chuckling nervously.

Guillermo wasn't one of the most handsome guys in school but certainly one of the smartest, with flat ironed clothes and smelling of aftershave. Tyler would say he maybe had a chance…if he was a couple of years older and had a good job.

"Look, I'll be honest with you, and I'll tell you this because you're a nice guy…"

Guillermo's smile wavered. "I don't have a chance, do I?"

"I wasn't going to say that. I was going to say, that you're too young for them. I mean most of these are my mother's guests so what do you think says about their age?" _No offense, mom. _

He nodded, understanding, but smile completely gone in disappointment.

"Why don't you go try the girls from school?" he suggested.

"I guess that can work better for me," he said, his eyes lighting up with renewed hope.

After Guillermo got the courage and left on his mission, Tyler was confronted by his angry looking father.

"What is this I hear the guests talking about? A drunk Matt? In my house?"

_Here we go._

* * *

><p>Katherine was the first one to see Jeremy and Matt walking out the entrance as she came from the bathroom. She quickly went as quickly as she could in heels after them.<p>

"Wait up!" she called after them.

Jeremy didn't slow down. Matt jerked himself free from Jeremy, almost falling onto the ground in doing so. Jeremy tried to reach out for him but he placed a hand up to refuse being helped.

"I think I can find my own car, thank you. Go back to Tyler, I bet he's missing you already," she heard the jock say.

"Hey, calm down, okay? Why are so drunk? I thought they didn't serve in there." Katherine said, glaring at him.

He snorted. "A waitress had pity on me. She brought me a whole bottle." He mockingly placed a finger to his lips. "When I promised not to tell anybody. Oops?"

"I'm calling you a taxi; you are not driving like this," she said, opening her purse and pulling out her cellphone.

"I can drive him." Jeremy offered. She gave him an incredulous look.

"Do you even have a license yet?"

"For you information, I do," he snapped, reaching out for Matt again who backed away.

"Please, this idiot does not deserve your help. He obviously needs a good hangover in the morning to keep him in check."

She resumed calling 411. "Taxies in Mystic Falls, Virginia, please. Thank you."

Jeremy turned away from his cousin as she talked on the phone and focused on Matt, who was starting to walk out in the direction of the street.

"Matt, come on. Don't do this, please," he said, gently. "This is not going to make things better. If you're mad at me, then get it over with and take it out on me."

Matt stopped walking, hunching in exhaustion. He didn't say anything for moment.

"Just for once, I would have liked to be the one to be loved."

Jeremy felt a pang of guilt and sadness hit his heart, making him take a step forward towards him in automatic reaction. "You are loved, Matt. And I'm sorry that I can't love you more than just a friend but that doesn't mean I don't love you as a brother."

No response.

"If you want to say something, come say it to my face."

Matt turned then and walked straight up to him. For a moment, Jeremy thought the blonde would end up hitting him. But he actually did quite the opposite.

"Oh my god," Katherine gasped in surprise.

Matt kissed him. It was deep but it only lasted a few seconds before he pulled back, staring into his eyes. "I'm so sorry."

With that he turned away. "Thanks for the taxi."

Jeremy watched Matt's figure stumble away through the grassy yard, occasionally disappearing into the shadows cast by the trees. He didn't know how long he stood there, still watching even after he had seen the taxi drive off with Matt down the road.

It took him this long to finally realize what Matt's last apology had meant. He had apologized that they hadn't worked, and he was free to do whatever he wanted; to finally be able to go to Tyler, if he wished to. He then felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go back inside, it's cold out here," Katherine whispered, the wind slowly picking up now.

He nodded half numbly, still staring in the direction of where the taxi had left. Katherine pulled him away, wrapping a protective and reassuring arm around his shoulders. He had to admit, it felt weird seeing her so sisterly like this instead of with her usual know-it-all attitude towards him. But deep, inside, it felt good to be hugged like this. He hadn't been hugged that way since his mother when they departed at the airport. It seemed like years since it happened.

* * *

><p>Daniel had let Caroline video tape what happened with her Iphone this time. He knew it was Jeremy and <em>Tyler<em> Steven had wanted. She had spotted him when Jeremy helped drunken Matt out of the mansion and her face had told him she hadn't expected for him to be here. But then she quickly went outside and began to video tape with her phone. Now, as Katherine returned with a depressed-looking Jeremy, Caroline came over to him and waved the phone in his face.

"I win."

"We'll see about that, won't we?"

Caroline rolled her eyes and walked away, just as a slow smirk formed upon his face. _I know what I need to do._

* * *

><p>Jeremy ignored the stares as Katherine brought him back inside. He had noticed that almost everyone had gone inside. A man stepped forward and ordered for all doors to be closed so the cold air wouldn't be let in.<p>

He then retreated from Katherine's touch as Stefan and Vicky made their way over to them, concerned about their disappearance.

"Bathroom," he said before walking off in a random direction. He asked one of the guests where the bathroom was and they pointed to the door in the corner below the staircase. He mumbled his gratitude before walking over and opening the door. Inside were two closed doors, one labeled for women and one for men on the door. It reminded him of the doors they had in fast food joints but at this point he didn't care about anything.

He entered the appropriate door and saw it was a room for only one person at a time. He closed the door and locked it behind him, using the bathroom and washing his hands. He splashes cold water onto his face and closed his eyes, bowing his head over the sink in thought. _Now what? _The dark voice that existed in his mind, whispered to go to Tyler; that there was nothing standing in his way that would forbid it.

A tightening in his pants settled at the thought of finally boning Tyler. But then old fears rose in his mind and made his stomach hurt. His hand drifted and touched the secret wolfsbane he had in his jeans pocket.

There was a sudden loud knock at the door. "Are you almost done in there?"

Jeremy sighed heavily and turned away from the sink, unlocking the door and heading out, not bothering to glance at the guy who had knocked.

He went back out and decided to lean against the wall, wanting to stay away from Katherine and the others for now. He didn't want to be asked questions; guessing Katherine already told Stefan and Vicky about what happened outside with Matt.

_Oh my god, Matt broke up with Jeremy. How crazy is that? _

His eyes then narrowed to a waiter as one of the adult male guests signaled the guy down for a glass.

His gaze slid quickly down to the shining crystal, containing the sweet liquid he didn't think was a bad idea to try. Things were shit right now anyway.

He signaled the waiter down next. He hesitated, seeming unsure about his age. His mother had always told him he looked older sometimes. He hoped his mother was right for this.

The waiter came up to him. "How old are you, sir?"

"22."

The guy moved his lips to one side, skeptical. "Really?"

"Really."

He sighed. "Sir, I really don't wanna get in trouble with the Lockwoods. Earlier on, we heard about this underage teen that was served in here. Mr. Lockwood got pissed and threatened to fire us. He probably would have if it wasn't for Mrs. Lockwood."

"Please, I'm not the one to cause trouble. I just want a drink."

Suddenly his expression softened and he sighed. "Bad night?"

"I just got dumped tonight."

He felt bad for saying it that way but needed to see bottom pretty desperately.

Finally, the guy took one of the glasses off the tray and reached it out to him. Jeremy reached for it but the guy pulled it back.

"I don't even know you, but I trust you. I hope you understand."

He nodded, sincere in his words. "I do. Thank you."

He sighed and gave him the glass. Jeremy watched him walk away and made sure no one was watching him before he chugged it down. A warmth spread as the liquid followed down his throat, making him start to relax slightly.

_Not enough. _

He leaned off the wall and made his way around the corner, peeking around carefully. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned around, thinking it was Katherine, but instead he came face to face with Daniel.

"Need help with something?" he asked, smirking.

"I can handle it."

"Oh, come on, two minds are always better than one. Plus I owe you for being an asshole at the last party."

"I forgave you. Now go away."

"Would you just let me help you?" he asked, insisting.

Jeremy sighed, rolling his eyes, feeling Daniel was not going to leave unless he got his way. "Fine. Bring me a bottle of wine from the kitchen."

Daniel stared at him, not believing he was serious. "No, really, tell me what I need to do."

He glared at him. "I'm being serious."

He let out an imaginary whistle of surprise. "Didn't think you rolled that way much."

"Whatever, just go get it for me, please."

Daniel gave him a mocking two finger salute. "Just remember, I'll get kicked out if I get spotted by Tyler."

Before he could response, the older boy walked into the next room without another word. Jeremy watched, half amazed by the guy's courage. But he couldn't help but wonder why he would be willing to do this for him, but most of all why the guy was here in the first place if he could end up getting kicked out.

_Oh well, to each his own. _

Jeremy looked around for Tyler, but he wasn't in sight. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

Moments later, Daniel came back, laying the bottle of wine on the inside of his forearm as he held the bottom of the bottle with his fingers.

"You're welcome," Daniel said, giving him the bottle. "But wow did I see something shocking."

"Jeremy!" Katherine's voice called as she walked towards him from the living room. Daniel quickly took it from him and his it from her view.

"What?" Jeremy asked her, irritated.

"Well I was going to ask you how you were and if you just wanted to go home."

He shook his head. "I'm fine. Matt and I…," he paused, glancing at Daniel, weird to have someone else who knew, "…it was bound to happen sooner or later. Now we can be alone, please?"

Katherine narrowed his eyes at Daniel. "You guys bffs now or something?"

"No, we just want to talk."

"Well come talk to us. Stefan and Vicky are waiting on the couch. They're worried about you too."

"Tell them I'm fine for me then."

She glared at him. "You don't have to turn grumpy and rude on me just because you got dumped."

Jeremy laughed bitterly. "Yeah, Kat, I did get dumped, but at least I'm not the one probably fucking my boyfriend in the house."

Katherine's mouth dropped open, her eyes filling with hurt at how he said it. In a second, her face turned emotionless, her voice cold. "And to think I actually gave a shit about you. Do what you want, I don't care."

"Don't have to tell me twice," he said, low enough for only them to hear.

She shook her head at his behavior but she didn't know how he felt, she didn't want to put herself in his shoes and try to think of what his situation was.

He reached his hand out for the bottle and Daniel gave it to him. He opened it, not caring who watched him anymore and took a long swallow.

"God, I needed that," Jeremy mumbled, leaning back on the wall, again.

"Are you seriously going to drink all of it?"

"What's it to you?"

"Look, the father just came out from the kitchen."

Jeremy rolled over and peeked around the corner to see a tense looking man walking out; his facial expression changing quickly to a forced everything- is- perfect smile.

"That's Tyler's dad. He's an asshole as a strict rich man can be. I saw him slap Tyler hard across the face in the kitchen."

He almost chocked on the alcohol at that, turning back to Daniel. "He hit him?"

"Yeah. Something about Matt being drunk. Didn't stick around long enough to listen so I wouldn't get asked questions by one of the waiters."

Jeremy took another long drink at the bottle, feeling the guest's eyes on him intently as he drank down his pain like a homeless guy. This time he didn't care about who saw him, as he leaned against the corner of the wall, hoping to spot Tyler this time.

The alcohol had taken its first effect, the early stage where everything seemed sharper and a bit more vibrant in look.

Jeremy then saw a familiar shape, the dark head and broad shoulders he would recognize anywhere. His eyes travelled down the broad V of the back until settling on those nice globes in the jeans. A wave of desire rushed over him and he could feel his blood flowing into his cock, making it strain against the inside of his pants. At the same time rage and despair flooded his mind. He watched as Tyler broke away from a woman, who touched his face, worry all over her face. He told her something before he walked away from her, disappearing from the living room.

"I'll see you later," he mumbled at Daniel.

Absentmindedly he walked in the direction the werewolf headed, slightly uneasy in his steps. He took the dried wolfsbane out of his pocket and pressed it tightly into his hands. He would not get away.

* * *

><p>"Guillermo, why the long face?" Daniel asked, as he spotted the guy slumped on the couch, staring sadly down at his can of soda. He looked up at him and sighed.<p>

"Girls are just not interested in me. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or…I'm just plain ugly."

Daniel tried to hide his smirk as he sat down next to the skinny sophomore.

"Wanna know a secret?"

Guillermo's eye lit up in curiosity. "Sure!"

He pressed a finger to his lips and leaned in close. "You didn't hear this from me, okay?"

"My lips are sealed."

"I overheard Caroline Forbes telling her friends that she had a crush on you."

He jerked away to look at him with shock. "No way."

He nodded. "But remember, you didn't hear this from me."

"Yeah, totally. Wow, Caroline Forbes likes me…this is the best day of my life!"

"She's actually in the bathroom right now but if you go quickly, you can go talk to her when she comes out."

He stood up, a huge smile on joy on his face. "Watch me!"

_Idiot._

* * *

><p>Tyler had fled into his father's office. It surprised him; it would have been the last place he would go, but it was the closest place to escape the stares that anticipated new gossip to talk about. The same people who looked at you, expecting only the best because you weren't just anybody, you were a fucking Lockwood, not a human being who couldn't have personal problems like the average family without the whole town knowing about it. He took another sip from the red wine mixed with coke he had made himself in the kitchen after the episode with his father. It would get him drunk faster this way, and the coke added something to it so he could forget about the hard slap across the face; so he could forget about everything. He imagined his cheek was red as it continued to sting with pain. His wolf had been beyond ready to rip his father's throat out but he had refused his wolf any harm upon his old man, even if he did want to hurt him back. His mother had checked up on him when she saw his bruised cheek. He was still boiling with fury at his father, so he just jerked away from her, not wanting to hurt her. Now here he was, in his father's office, in front of his father's desk, and tempted to just stay in the room the whole night until everyone left. He took the last long swallow of the liquid before placing it down on the desk with a thud that echoed in the quiet room.<p>

Suddenly, he heard one of the double doors open. He closed his eyes, thinking it was his mother, coming to give him a comfort. That's when the familiar scent of honeysuckle mixed with champagne was invading his senses. He realized that Jeremy had come to stop directly behind him.

His first intent was to turn around but then he felt Jeremy's hand was pressing against his back and, with it, was a slight burning sensation. It was like a strong, itchy, and it irritated him.

"Don't move," the voice was angry, "you know what that is, I bet on it, so don't move."

And he did; his nose had told him, and he could only guess that his clothes were protecting him somewhat from the plants full effect. Tyler didn't move as he felt the hand moving, slowly trailing along his side before settling on his stomach, the itching accompanying him the whole way.

Then a stronger pressure, but without the itching this time, was on his back. He felt the tip of a nose rubbing through the denim of his shirt, then hips and an obviously a hard cock pressing against his ass.

He guessed that only the itching was preventing him from being horny as hell right now.

"Why can't you have horns?"

Tyler had no idea how to respond to that so he kept his mouth shut, that and the wolfsbane was a constant reminder of danger.

"Why can't you have scales or an ugly face? Or stink or have fur all over your body?"

Tyler heard Jeremy's heart picking up in speed but he couldn't tell whether it was anger or lust.

"Why can't you be like any other monster," Jeremy inhaled deeply. "No, of course you have to smell fucking good; you have to be so damn beautiful that you're the only one on my mind. You're the center of every wet dream I had since I came to this town." Tyler felt moisture along his neck and heard sobs. "Do you have any idea what you did to me with your stupid hug? I dreamed of you fucking me. I fucking wanted to bone you in the middle of the football field in front of everybody."

"Why do I want you so much? Fuck I want to take you right now," Jeremy said while grinding against Tyler's ass.

The sensation was too much for Tyler and he forgot the wolfsbane and the itching. "Then take me," he panted, "do whatever you want with me." If these words weren't the truth, he didn't know what was.

Jeremy started grinding eagerly against Tyler's ass, his dangerous hand dropping the wolfsbane while his other arm came around as well and both hands grabbed and worked Tyler's chest. It was so hot to feel Jeremy's hands on him, his moist breath at his nape, the delicious friction. Their rubbing caused Tyler to soon find himself rubbing his ass against Jeremy, totally forgetting their surroundings.

They moaned and panted, Jeremy clinging to Tyler, rubbing with all his might. The sensation of cock rubbing against ass, made Tyler wish he could be naked right now but Jeremy made no sign of trying to let go and take his own clothes off. He continued to rub and pant, nuzzling Tyler's back, licking his neck, and moaning into his ear.

The heat built itself inside Tyler, his cock screaming to be released but at the same time Tyler didn't want to come, didn't want it to stop. Then Jeremy's movements became erratic, spasmatic and one hand went down to Tyler's bulge. When Tyler felt it touch him there he nearly started to squeak, his own body growing spasmatic. When he heard Jeremy groan loudly he felt himself being overwhelmed by pleasure at the thought that the boy just came against him, causing him to orgasm in his own pants.

Tyler fell forward, stabilizing himself on the desk, desperately struggling for breath.

Tyler felt Jeremy let go of him then, completely backing off him. Tyler didn't even think of turning around, still too caught up by the force of his own desires. He was practically gasping for air, his nails practically digging into the oak wood of the desk. By the time his heart had settled to an even pace and his breathing was even, he had turned only to find that Jeremy was already gone.

* * *

><p>Jeremy was trying not to have a heart attack as she walked as calmly as he could out of the office to find Jenna. He wanted to go home, not believing he just humped Tyler Lockwood in his own house, threatening him with wolfsbane, and had an emotional breakdown on him, literally.<p>

He managed to go out the front door without anybody stopping him. He got out his cellphone from his jeans and called Jenna, shivering in the cold.

"Hello?"

"Aunt Jenna, can you please pick me up?"

"Jeremy?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Did something happen?"

"No, I'm just done being here for the night. Katherine is going to stay with Stefan."

"You still at the mansion?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll be there soon."

He thanked her and hung up before he walked down the stairs and across the huge grass yard, bowing his head against the wind. It wasn't long he had to wait in the driveway, Jenna's car stopping in front of him. He opened the door and climbed in.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he simply replied, resting his head on the palm of his head as he stared at the carpet. Jenna took it as a sign that he didn't wanna talk about it, so the ride home was silent.

Once inside the house, she announced she had made some of her chocolate pudding with raspberry sauce.

"Unless you're still feel sick," she said, looking at him questionably.

Jeremy gave her the best smile he could manage and nodded. "I'll take some."

He sat down as Jenna served some still warm chocolate pudding and drizzled cold raspberry sauce on top. He thanked her when she handed him the bowl. He took the spoon and tasted it.

"It's awesome, Aunt Jenna."

"I'm glad you liked it," she said, eating her own bowl next to him.

They then stayed in silence as he picked at his dessert. He thought he'd be hungry as hell for not eating since that morning.

"Tell me what really happened. I promise I won't tell Katherine."

Jeremy now swirled his spoon in the pudding, not meeting her eyes. "She already knows. She was the main witness," he sighed and dropped and the spoon. "Matt and I are over, Aunt Jenna."

"He…broke up with you at the party?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. He was drunk and upset but he knew what he was doing. I heard it in his voice." He drew in a breath. "He also kissed me one last time."

"Oh." She drawled out softly, sad for him. "I'm so sorry, Jer. Maybe he'll re-consider when he's sober."

He shook his head, knowing it won't happen. "It's over, Aunt Jenna."

"Well it's not like he's going to ignore you entirely now. If he doesn't want to go back into a relationship, I'm sure you two will still be friends."

He looked up at her, feeling bitter and anger towards himself for knowing his answer to his own question. "After knowing what I've done, do you think he'd wanna even talk to me anymore?"

Before she could reply, he stood up and shrugged. "I deserve it."

He gave her a small wave and wished her a goodnight, taking the bowl of pudding with him.

Inside his room, he shut the door and leaned against it, feeling a thick lump in his throat, his eyes watering, as he felt like the most horrible person on earth. He barely felt as he slid down the door and onto the floor, scooping up a spoonful of pudding and forcing it into his mouth as his first sob broke out of him.

* * *

><p>Daniel parked his car in front of Steven's house. He saw only the lights outside the house were on, making him hesitate about even trying to knock on the door. He looked down at the time on the radio display; 10:45.<p>

_Maybe I should come back tomorrow. _

Suddenly his text message ring tone rang inside his cup holder. He grabbed it and saw it was from Steven. Most surprising thing was what he sent him.

**What do you want? **

He looked back at the house, checking if he'd see Steven glaring at him from one of the windows. He didn't.

_It's freaky how you do that. I come with a package you might want to see. _

**The door is open. **

Daniel placed his phone back into the cup holder and checked his coat pocket for the tape recorder. He was sure Steven would have preferred it to have video evidence of Tyler and Jeremy's interest for each other instead, cause damn, what an interest it was.

He quickly got out of his car and jogged up to the house, practically hearing Steven screaming in his head to hurry up.

He turned the door knob and the door opened. He stepped inside and gasped, when a tall figure stood at the entrance, half hidden by darkness. At first, he thought it was Steven, but then he saw it was a blonde male he didn't recognize.

"Welcome," the guy said, his tone amused.

"Hey…" he greeted him awkwardly. "Is Steven here?"

The guy cocked his head back to one side, as if someone had called to him. Then the guy disappeared, literally, in the blink of an eye. Daniel looked around, feeling a little freaked out by the creepy disappearance.

"Daniel!" Steven yelled out. "Move it or lose it!"

He quickly ran to his best friend's room, almost forgetting about the mysterious blond male.

Before he knocked on the door, Steven told him to come in. _Freaky how he does that. _He opened the door and went inside, seeing Steven lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Give me whatever you need to and leave. I'm expecting Caroline tonight."

A wave of hot jealousy poured into his insides, making him feel warm, despite just coming in from the cold weather outside. "Here."

He threw the tape recorder onto the brunette's un-made bed. Without looking up from the ceiling, Steven grabbed it and placed it above him to see what it was.

"You won't believe what's on it. I…"

Steven held up a hand for him to shut up as he clicked for the tape to play.

_"Why can't you have horns?" _Jeremy's voice sounded in the room.

_"Why can't you have scales or an ugly face? Or stink or have fur all over your body?" _he continued after a pause.

There was no reaction from Steven, even as he continued to listen.

_"Why can't you be like any other monster? No, of course you have to smell fucking good; you have to be so damn beautiful that you're the only one on my mind. You're the center of every wet dream I had since I came to this town."_

Sobs were heard.

_"Why do I want you so much? Fuck I want to take you right now."_

_"Then take. Do whatever you want with me." _This came from Tyler. Suddenly moans and pants began to fill the room as the two boys had started to do whatever they had been doing in Richard Lockwood's office.

When the tape was over, Daniel waited eagerly to see what Steven would say next.

Steven sat up slowly, looking at him and then down at the tape recorder. "Where did this all happen?"

"Mr. Lockwood's office. I got Jeremy a bottle of wine and he got drunk. He went after Lockwood practically immediately."

Steven nodded, looking back up at him, a blank expression still on his face. "And I suppose you're wondering if you did a good job, right?"

Daniel's face heated up without being able to stop it. Just the way the brunette looked at him made his dick hard.

A smirk then slowly appeared upon the older boy's face. It remained on his face as he then stood up, taking out his cellphone and texting someone a message, his fingers going too quickly for Daniel to keep up. Was that even possible?

* * *

><p>Steven then threw his phone onto the bed before making his way towards Daniel. The boy's heart was beating rapidly inside his chest, his sweet arousal drifting off him like cheap cologne as their faces were now centimeters away.<p>

Steven reached out and took a hold of the younger boy's chin, pulling it down. "Such a loyal little puppy," he whispered before hungrily destroying the remaining distance between them. He pushed his tongue into the boy's mouth, tasting chocolate and a linger of strawberries inside his mouth. Daniel moaned, reaching up behind his head to tangle his hands in his hair to pull him closer.

_You're not the one in control here. _

He grabbed Daniel and shoved him onto the bed, straddling him at vampire speed and looking down into baby blue eyes.

"You're going to beg for us to fuck you. You're going to finger yourself until your tight little hole is wide enough to have both of our cocks inside you."

"Us?"

He heard the door open behind them, Klaus' soft footsteps stepping inside the room. "Are you sure your bed is even going to be big enough?"

* * *

><p>Note: Review time! ;D<p> 


	35. Stalker

First Time for Everything

Chapter 35

Note: Okay…I hate the producers for making me feel pity for Rebekah. Guess she's not_ that much_ of a stank ass ho. And I use strong emphasis on the word 'that much' lol. Was sad to see there was no Tyler or Jeremy in this chapter so I'm excited to see them again next episode in Homecoming. :)

093022: XD Thanks! Jyler love will happen…very very very soon now ;) I promise.

* * *

><p>That Monday, Jeremy ate half a slice of bagel with milk, much to the girls' disapproval. He simply excused it by saying that that he wasn't that hungry. He had gone back upstairs to grab his laundry and went out back to the machines, feeling Jenna's eyes on him the whole time. Moments later, Katherine called that Stefan had arrived.<p>

He went back upstairs to get his backpack and paused when he remembered the ring Tyler had given him. He turned towards his desk, where he had last left it before Matt had gone all hormones on him. Jeremy adjusted the strap on his shoulder and walked over to it, staring down at it with hesitation.

"Jeremy, did you hear what I said?" Katherine yelled from downstairs.

He turned away, needing to talk to Matt first before deciding what he'd do about Tyler. Something told him Tyler would want a word with him too.

* * *

><p>Tyler had woken up earlier for school, the annoying stomach pains disturbing his sleep. After devouring two packs of bloody goodness—which he meant with sarcasm—he showered and dressed, brushing his teeth and skipping a normal breakfast to go visit Matt at his house.<p>

When he knocked on the front door, he didn't know what kind of reaction to expect from his best friend. Ex-best friend maybe? He hoped not.

Vicky opened the door moments later, dressed and ready for school. Her eyes widened when she saw him. "Tyler, didn't expect…for it to be you."

"Expecting someone else?"

Vicky's expression turned gloomy and he looked behind her. "I guess he would have told you at school. Anyway, he broke up with Jeremy at your party. I feel horrible not going home with him that night. For all I know, he could have passed out on the sidewalk."

Guilt knotted into his gut at her expression and the thought of Matt passing out in the cold.

"Who's at the door, Vic?" Matt's voice asked from inside.

"It's Tyler."

There was a pause before he heard footstep headed towards them. Matt came up behind his sister and placed a hand on her shoulder, keeping his eyes on him. "I'll take it from here."

She hesitated, then nodded, backing off and heading back inside, out of view.

Matt's expression wasn't filled with hatred, yet, it wasn't friendly either. He nodded for him to say what he came here for.

"I kept calling you but you didn't answer." Tyler said.

"Sorry, I was at home feeling like shit. But I've moved on."

Tyler could tell he was lying his heartbeat gave it away; Matt was miserable. He also felt anger, which he guessed was more aimed at him than anyone else.

"Do you want him Tyler?"

"Who?"

"Don't be coy with me; that would only piss me off more."

"I never wanted for you to get hurt, Matt. I wasn't forcing him to choose between us."

"Why do you want him?"

Tyler froze, not knowing how he would be able to answer that.

"I know it wasn't love at first sight," Matt continued. "So why?"

He looked away. "There are some things I wish I could tell you, man, but I need him."

Matt frowned. "Need him? For what?"

"Like I said, I wish there were some things I could tell you." he focused back on him. "But if you choose to hate me now, I wouldn't blame you."

Matt stared at him for a moment before he laughed, mockingly. "Fine, whatever. Just don't talk to me for a while. I need some space."

Tyler nodded, understanding. "Take the time you need."

They stayed staring at each other in awkward silence. Matt then glanced behind him and nodded. "Nice car."

"Thanks."

His parents had surprised him with choosing between two brand new cars; a silver Mercedes SLR or a blue Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. He had chosen the Chevrolet.

When Tyler saw Matt wasn't going to say anything more, he began to back away. "I'll see you later then."

Matt simply nodded and he turned around, heading back to his car.

He turned around and walked down the front yard to his car. He glanced at Matt once more before he drove off to school.

* * *

><p>Matt hadn't lied when he told him he didn't hate him. He envied yet didn't hate the older jock. Tyler was the only person he felt was family besides Vicky ever since they were left alone in Mystic Falls. He supposed that's where the anger was coming from; he felt alone and he knew it was his mother's fault, not Tyler's. He was right when he said that he didn't force Jeremy to choose who he wanted. Then, as he thought about it, he was happy with Jeremy. However, had it been love? It had felt that way to him. Maybe it had because he related with Jeremy when he had told him about how his father had left him with his mother, never to be heard from again, his mother since then struggling with income to feed herself and Jeremy while still paying basic bills such as electricity and water. So she sent him to Mystic Falls, while she stayed back home to try to finding that well enough paying job. Jeremy said they were hoping it would happen within the year so he would go back home to graduate from high school there.<p>

"You okay?" Vicky asked.

He broke from his thoughts and nodded, going back inside the house. "Just thinking about things. You ready to go?"

* * *

><p>Vicky wasn't stupid. She had stayed not too far back to listen to the boys' conversation. They had both mentioned a "he". She had a good thought of whom that "he" might be. She maybe wouldn't admit it aloud; but she wasn't too surprised that Tyler was willing to turn gay for Jeremy. The boy was quite something; though not in a bad way.<p>

"Yeah, I'm ready."

* * *

><p>Mason stared back at the man as calmly as possible. "Sorry, sir, but you know the rules. Hunting season is not for another two and half weeks."<p>

"But Miguel always lets us buy our permits early!" the customer protested.

"Then go talk to him."

"I will! Your ass is fired!"

The guy took a long swing of his beer and walked away, blenching and throwing his empty beer can on the front porch of his office.

"Fucking Lockwood, thinking he can control everybody." He heard the man mumble angrily.

Mason felt the build of anger in his chest and he clenched his jaw, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply to calm himself down as the roar of an engine was heard. He didn't open his eyes until the sound faded into the distance.

He sat down in his chair and stared blankly at the television screen. After a moment, his thoughts drifted back to Vicky. Since Saturday, his wolf had calmed down enough that he barely noticed it at times. There was something wrong about the situation. Wasn't he supposed to be disturbed 24/7 with the urge to see her again? Have dirty mental images of going down on her like there was no tomorrow? He had found out the intoxicating scent was coming from her, yet…his wolf hadn't seem to be interested in _her_; the person behind the scent. There had been many different scents in the same place that night, though none of them had made his urges come alive. Something was wrong; and he knew the exact person who could answer his questions.

He made sure no one was near before taking out his cellphone and calling Jules.

Couple of rings later, it sent him to voicemail.

"Jules, its Mason. Something came up and I have a few questions. It's not an emergency but call me as soon as you can. Thanks."

He hung up and ran a hand down his face. Suddenly his cell rang. He looked down and saw it was Jules. He rolled his eyes and answered.

"Hey."

"Sorry, had to deal with you-know-who…again, and couldn't make it to the phone on time. Anyway, what's up?"

"I think I've found my mate."

There was a long pause on the other end. "You think or you know?"

"I don't know. Two days ago, I was celebrating my nephew's birthday. I went upstairs to change and when I came back down, a scent caught my attention."

"Go on."

"I followed it. Found out the scent was coming from a teenage girl. Thing is, when I saw her, when I was standing right next to her, I felt…nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing'?"

"No attraction towards her."

"Whatsoever?"

"No."

Jules sighed and stayed quiet for a moment. "Where there many people at the gathering?"

"Yes."

"Were you around them long enough to know none of them caught your attention?"

"I would say so. I was talking to several women but none of them had the same kind of effect on me."

"And this scent, would you say it smelled delicious to you?"

"Yes."

"On a scale from one to ten?"

"Ten, maybe even higher."

"Then I'd say you defiantly have found your other half. But you don't even have the urge to hug this girl?"

"Nope."

"Well, shit, something's either wrong with you or your wolf. Is she ugly or something?"

"No but she's a teenager."

"Maybe your wolf understands the trouble of being a pedophile." She teased.

"Remind me to laugh later. So you have no answers for me?"

"Sorry, but no. I'm confused as you are right now; I've never heard of this kind of thing happening."

He turned his chair around and leaned his elbows on the wooden desk, not commenting further.

"How are you feeling?" she asked a moment later.

"Almost as if I never saw her. Though I think the scent is still lingering with my wolf."

"Describe the scent for me."

"There was a fruit I couldn't figure out mixed with a deep musk one."

"Weird."

Mason narrowed his eyes at her thoughtful tone. "What is?"

"It could just be me but I've never heard of a woman having 'musk' in her scent. It sounds more of a guy thing."

"It could be because I clearly saw it was a woman. A young one, but a still a woman." He protested firmly.

"Whatever you say, I have to go take care of some business over here so I'll talk to you later."

"Sure, bye."

He hung up and leaned back against his chair, just as Miguel, his boss came in. He would have to figure it out later.

* * *

><p>They had arrived to school, just in time for Jeremy to see Matt climbing out of his car with Vicky.<p>

He quickly grabbed his bag and got out of the car, running towards the blonde.

"Matt!" he called. The older boy stopped and turned around. His eyes widened when he saw him.

"What?"

"Can we talk?"

"I have to get to class." He said, turning around.

"Wait, wait!" Jeremy protested, going around him to block his way. "Five minutes. I know we still have time."

The bell suddenly rang, making him feel like an idiot.

"Later." Matt said before walking past him and into the building.

"You okay?" Katherine asked, behind him.

"Just awesome."

As the day went by, he couldn't concentrate in class. He was glad when lunch time arrived, though he didn't feel hungry so he decided to head for the library to get a head start on his math homework.

He was walking down the hall when suddenly he saw Tyler on the other end of the hall. _Crap. _Tyler spotted him and paused. Then he began to jog over to him.

_Need to face what I did. _He now was face to face with Tyler, neither of them really knowing what to say next for a moment. Then Tyler got the courage to go straight to business.

"Why did you do it?"

"I have no idea, I'm sorry."

"You regret it?"

"No," he replied, making the jock smirk with triumph. "But, I still wasn't in my right mind; I was drunk and I have to go."

Jeremy walked past Tyler when he suddenly felt dizzy. He heard himself let out a soft grunt before he began to fall. He felt two hands catch him, holding him up, as he closed his eyes to wait off the dizziness.

"Jeremy, are you okay?" Tyler asked, worried.

He held up a hand to tell him to wait, putting a hand over his face as if it would help. Slowly the dizziness left him, leaving him with a soft ringing in his ears. He let out a shaky breath and tried to study himself.

"Okay…" he mumbled out, glad it was over.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…"

He shouldn't have looked up. Jeremy looked up at Tyler and felt his himself transfixed by those warm brown eyes, the same ones he had seen, not too long ago, turn into bright amber. Slowly he felt his resistant walls crumbling down as Tyler gently reached out and turn him around so they were face to face again. Jeremy could feel the warmth of Tyler's body heat through his jacket.

"Jeremy…" he whispered, reaching out to touch his cheek gently. Tyler began to lean towards him, making his eyes close.

_At school!_

He jerked away, almost tripping on his own feet. He quickly looked around to see if anybody was watching the no one was luckily in sight.

"Shit." He whispered, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.

Tyler raised his hands to show he meant no harm. "I'm sorry, I…"

"Have to go."

He turned and walked away quickly, feeling his heart beat rapidly in his chest.

"You can't keep walking away from things, Jeremy!" he called.

He didn't look back. He now couldn't deny it; he wanted Tyler Lockwood.

* * *

><p>Steven decided not to compel Daniel into forgetting that night, though he did compel him to keep their secret to be safe. When Klaus and he had bitten Daniel in the end, surprisingly, the kid took it better than he had expected. He was parking his car into a slot when he spotted Caroline walking towards him. The night Daniel had proven himself useful, he had texted Caroline to not come over without further explanation; the bitch knew better than to question him. He was climbing out of the car when she stopped right in front of him.<p>

"Why did you tell me not to come over? And why have you been dodging my calls? What's going on?"

Shame that they had to be in public. He closed the car door and clicked the button to lock it, slipping it inside the pocket of his jacket, walking past her without a second glance. "I was busy."

Her heels clicked on the floor as she tried to follow in his pace. She huffed, "Busy? Doing what?"

He ignored her question. "I'm sure you weren't going to bring anything, anyway…well," He added, chuckling. "Besides your open legs."

"You asshole! Did our time mean nothing to you?" she demanded. By now, many eyes were on them, very curious about what the argument was about. He stopped and turned to her, narrowing his eyes at her. "No, it didn't. Now fuck. Off."

He turned and left her, her mouth open in utter shock of his truthfulness.

"I hate you!" he heard her yell at him furiously.

"Get in line." He mumbled, stepping inside the school just as the first bell of the day began to ring.

* * *

><p>Jeremy's fifth period Algebra teacher slammed the textbook onto his desk, startling him awake. Jeremy stared up at the teacher, who stared back down at him with disapproval. He heard some of the guys in the class snort.<p>

"Glad you can join us, Mr. Gilbert. Perhaps you can solve the problem on the board for us?" The teacher said, turning away and going back to the front of the class. Jeremy looked at the problem on the board, all of it looking like gibberish to him.

"I wouldn't know how, sir."

"Hopefully, now can you actually pay attention?"

"Yes, sir."

The teacher turned away and continued his lecture. Jeremy managed to stay awake through the rest of class, taking notes, and copying down the homework before moving on to his final class of the day.

In his last class, he sat down in the back, just in case he fell asleep again. He was getting out his notebook when a girl came to sit on the desk across from him.

"Hey, I'm Anna." She greeted him with a smile.

Jeremy's eyes widened, surprised she would even try to be friendly. He'd seen her during class though they're never actually talked before. She was a pretty petite girl with long, curly, black air, a round face and dark brown eyes. He couldn't remember her name but he knew she was also a junior with a quiet personality.

"Jeremy, nice to meet you." He said back, giving her a small smile.

"Same here! Are you going to the bonfire tonight?"

"Bonfire?"

"The announcement is practically on every surface of the school."

"Oh, right, the papers on the lockers."

She laughed. "Yeah, those ones exactly."

"No, that kind of thing…isn't for me."

"'That kind of thing'?"

"I mean only people with friends go there. If I went, I'd probably look like an idiot, standing in a corner the whole time. And, isn't it a school night?"

"You a nerd?" she teased.

"Not exactly." He said, chuckling, remembering last class.

"So come on, it starts at 4 and ends at 8."

He stared at her pleading pout in amusement. "Why are you asking me to come, again?"

Her pout disappeared and she shrugged. "Would you believe me if I told you I'm a pretty big loner?"

He knew what she was feeling. With her explanation enough for him, he reached his hand out towards her, palms up. "Count me in."

Her smile returned and she grabbed onto it, squeezing it. "Thanks, Jeremy. I'm Anna, by the way."

When the final bell rang, Anna and he walked out of the classroom together.

"Do you drive?" she asked.

"I do but I don't have a car of my own over here. But I'll ask my cousin if she's going. Maybe we can pick you up before we head over. You said it's in the woods?"

"Yeah, they do it there every year. Okay, I'll give you my cell number and you can tell me what's going to happen later."

"Alright."

After they exchanged numbers, they went their separate ways. For once since he arrived to town, he looked forward to something.

* * *

><p>Tyler was more than ready to push out his frustration during practice. He was heading towards the locker room when he stopped, recognizing Jeremy's back. He saw him walking down the hall, talking with some girl. Immediately the jealousy and fury rose inside him, almost making him see red.<p>

_Jeremy moved on? _The anger seemed to intensify at the thought of Jeremy just pushing aside what had happened in his father's office, wanting to forget it as just a drunken mistake he had made.

"…you said it's in the woods?" he heard Jeremy ask.

"Yeah, they do it there every year there. Okay, I'll give you my cell number and you can tell me what's going to happen later."

He made his muscles move, waiting until the two figures were out of sight before he continued to the locker room. He paused when he saw his team was coming out the door, cheering about something.

Matt then come out, a frown on his face. He spotted him and shrugged, "Tanner is letting us off today."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Before he could say anything else, Matt walked away. Steven then came out with Daniel and his lackeys, laughing at something. Tyler glared at them.

"No practice today, Lockwood."

"So I heard, jackass." He mumbled before he walked away, heading to the workout room.

* * *

><p>Steven was half amused by Daniel's strong arousal as he waited for them to drive out of the parking lot. His hand then reached out, about to land on his cock. Steven was quicker and grabbed the horny jock's hand.<p>

"Can't you wait?"

"Not with you."

He rolled his eyes and stopped the car on the side of the road next to the woods.

"What are you doing?" Daniel asked.

"I'm fucking dumbass."

Daniel frowned at him, confused by his comment. "Why?"

He turned to the side to fully look at Daniel as he talked. "Had to go waste my time focusing on Lockwood's birthday while the real answer was right under my nose this whole time."

"What are you talking about?"

Steven knew he hadn't told the younger boy of Tyler Lockwood's secret; top evidence that werewolves also existed in this world. He preferred Daniel better than Caroline; the girl asked too many questions. Steven made up his mind and stared Daniel in the eye.

"Tyler Lockwood is a werewolf. Accept that and move on." He told him.

He waited for the boy to snap out of the trance and focus. "So? What does that have to do with you being an idiot?"

"Jeremy is Tyler's mate. That's the whole reason that they even like each other. If we can keep Jeremy from accepting Tyler long enough, Tyler will go through an endless phase of mental and psychical pain before he dies."

Daniel thought about for a moment and nodded. "But…what about what happened on Saturday?"

"We're not going to worry about that. Now, this is what I want you to do…but first…"

His gaze lowered to the boy's neck, feeling the dark veins appear around his eyes at the delicious scent of warm, human blood. Then he attacked.

* * *

><p>Katherine was beyond thrilled when he told her he'd be going to the <em>bonfire <em>with a _friend_. Though he was surprised to hear that she wouldn't be going with Stefan; maybe they would catch a few drinks there before they headed somewhere else after. Another way of saying 'we're going off somewhere else to be alone and screw around…literally.' Since Katherine would be picked up by Stefan, she gave him permission to take her car. Thankfully, it didn't have a girly color. Though when it came time to text Anna, he saw his phone wasn't working anymore. He tried to call her instead, ending up just getting annoying beeping sounds. He sighed when he realized his phone had been turned off; his mother probably not able to pay for their monthly phone service. He ended up using Katherine's cellphone instead.

Jeremy arrived with Anna a little after four thirty. The last rays of the sun were almost gone, casting a reddish glow upon everyone. People had already begun to get in the mood, beers in hand as music blared from a stereo somewhere. He then spotted the lit bonfire, people sitting on chairs and big rocks around it to get warm as the temperature began to drop.

"You drink?" Anna asked next to him as they checked out the scene together.

"I tried beer once; didn't like it."

"Good, me neither. Let's go see if they have soda."

He followed behind her as they arrived to a huge ice box filled with different beverages.

"Thank god!" she said, leaning down and grabbing a coke for the two of them. They sat on the floor, leaning their backs against a tree as they stared at the others party.

They stayed in silence for a while, taking the mood in before Anna broke the silence.

"Is it true that you and Matt are over?"

He looked over at her. "How do you know about that?"

"I hear about it but I wasn't sure if it was just rumors or not, so I'm asking you."

He sighed heavily and turned away.

"Sorry for bringing it up. Forget I asked."

"It's okay," He paused. "We are over. We…just weren't working out."

He could feel her eyes on him, studying his face reflected by the glow from the fire.

"I'm sorry."

He heard the genuine sympathy in her voice. He turned to her and shrugged.

"Things happen for a reason."

"I guess."

Another moment of silence came between them, sipping at their coke.

"What's up?"

Jeremy jerked in surprise when Daniel appeared, sitting down next to him with a deep sigh. He exchanged a glance with Anna, who looked also surprised and confused about why he would be even come over to them.

"Nothing much." Jeremy replied, staring ahead. "How about you?"

"Just hanging out. Steven couldn't make it tonight so you don't mind if I hang out with you guys, right?"

"No, we don't." Anna and he said at the same time, making him smirk with amusement.

"Thanks. By the way, how'd your hangover go?"

Anna glanced at Daniel then at him, interested. Jeremy felt himself flush, embarrassed to bring up the topic in front of Anna. He didn't want her to think he lied about his drinking habits. "I didn't have one. I didn't have that much."

"That's not what I remember."

Jeremy glared at him and changed the subject. "So when's the next game?"

Daniel just smirked and went along. "Next Tuesday, I think. I'm sure you're coming to see Tyler play."

"Want another soda, Anna?"

Anna raised an eyebrow, clearly seeing the tension now. "Sure. Want me to come with?"

"It's okay. Daniel can help me." he replied, giving her a knowing look. She nodded, understanding and watched them leave.

When they were a good distance away, he turned upon Daniel. "What the hell are you trying to do?"

The guy raised his hands in mock defense. "No need to get all tough on me, man. I was just trying to make conversation."

"No, you're trying to make me look bad in front of Anna. I barely met her today so I would appreciate if you kept things to yourself. How would you like it if I started talking about your crush for Steven?"

Daniel's eyes widened and looked around quickly for any eves droppers. He frowned back at him and nodded. "I'm sorry. That was a stupid of me. Can we start over? I need to tell you something about Tyler I think you should know."

Jeremy glanced over where Anna was waiting. "Some other time; I can't leave her alone so long."

"I can tell you about it here. Trust me, you need to know this."

He studied Daniel, wondering what he knew about Tyler that he didn't. _Couldn't be that he's a werewolf. _

"Make it quick."

Daniel nodded. "I don't know if you've met Caroline Lockwood at the party, Tyler's mother."

Jeremy shook his head. "No, why?"

"There was an incident about two years ago. Mrs. Lockwood was sent to the emergency room and almost died. People say it was Tyler's fault."

His mouth dropped in shock, his mouth suddenly seemed bone dry at the thought of Tyler hurting his own mom. Part of him refused to accept it, thinking they were just more rumors.

"That's…that can't be right. You know that people always tend to talk."

"I know, but Tyler's past attitude doesn't help his case. The guy is always ready to lash out at someone who pisses him off. Once in the locker room, his eyes turned yellow, not human."

Without thinking, he grabbed Daniel by his jacket, pulling him close with a single tug. "You better keep your fucking nose where it belongs or you will get hurt, understand?"

"P-perfectly." The jock almost whimpered, eyes wide.

Jeremy noticed some people were staring at them and that's when he realized what he'd done. He released Daniel quickly who backed up a few steps, straightening his jacket and watching him with wary eyes.

He then walked away, completely forgetting about Anna who, moments later, was calling out to him. He stopped and stared at the ground, shaking in remembrance at what he'd done, what he'd felt. For a moment, he wanted to kill Daniel for talking shit about Tyler, whether the things he said were true or not.

"Forgetting something?" she asked exasperated, coming to stop in front of him.

"I'm sorry." He simply said.

She glanced behind him. "What happened back there? You two were talking and suddenly you seemed to want a piece of him."

_Literally. _"I just snapped. He was… making fun that Matt broke up with me."

"You still love him then, don't you?"

He just stared at her, wishing that he could just spill out everything he felt and was going through—what he _had_ to go through.

"I'm starting to feel tired so we should probably go."

He walked past her, heading towards the car. Seconds later, Anna followed silently behind him.

* * *

><p>Tyler went home after his work-out and came home to find his parent's weren't home. He heard his Uncle Mason in his father's office, followed the smell of alcohol. Another scent filled his nose; this one unfamiliar in the laundry room.<p>

"I brought in a special delivery for you. It's in the fridge; you're welcome." the older werewolf commented, not needing to raise his voice.

He didn't reply, heading into the kitchen and finding three whole packages of meat and chicken. His mouth watered as his stomach growled loudly. He held back the need to devour them as he picked them up, grabbing some napkins from the cupboard, before he walked to his father's office to see Mason. The man was sitting on the couch, a bottle of whiskey on his stomach as he stared blankly at the wall. He didn't look at him when he entered the room, closing the double doors behind him.

"How was practice?"

"Coach canceled it today for some reason, so I went to work out on my own."

He nodded, still staring at the wall. "Nice."

Tyler tore into the meat, grimacing at the sudden cold feeling in his mouth. Both boys shared the silence until he was done eating, wiping his hands on the napkins.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"Business, as always."

Tyler stared at his uncle who continued to stare at the wall with a monotone.

"What's with you?"

The older man paused before he replied, "I talked with Jules today."

"Who?"

"She's a werewolf and a friend of mine. I called her this morning about something."

He shifted and finally looked at him. "Thing is…I don't know what's going on since I saw Vicky at your party. When I first smelled that scent, it woke the wolf inside me so I assumed it had to be my mate but when I saw who the scent belonged to…there was no further attraction."

Before Tyler could reply, Mason continued, "But the scent still lingers with me. I can still remember it clearly like if it stayed in the house. But what I mean by there was no attraction, is that I don't feel anything for _Vicky_. It's like she's just another one of your guests. So I called Jules to see if she could figure it out but she got just as lost. Weird thing she said was that part of the scene I described to her sounded like it should belong to a male."

"What did you smell?" he asked carefully.

"Some type of fruit with musk."

Tyler shrugged. "I can't really remember exactly how it smells like but maybe it can still come from women too. I sometimes smell guys that smell like fruit so…"

He saw his uncle relax somewhat at that though he imagined he still continued to have doubts. The Jules girl must be something to have influence on him like that.

"Don't always listen to what she says. Not everyone is right all the time; so don't worry about it. If the smell you like comes from Vicky then Vicky is your mate, period. If you don't want to accept that then it's your problem, though I wouldn't blame you. As for why you don't have any attraction to her…maybe it's because you were in shock or something for meeting her for the first time; I know it can't be as bad as you make it sound."

When he finished, he felt weird yet good at the same time. Weird due to the fact that he hasn't talked that much in a while and even know what he's talking about. Good for the feeling of helping out his uncle in return after buying him more meat for his persistent hunger for raw meat.

Mason nodded, taking in what he said. "Hopefully you're right."

Tyler then came over and sat next to his uncle who looked at him questionably. He leaned over and grabbed the bottle from him. "Don't mind if I do."

* * *

><p>The week went by and things were just about to get worse…at least for Jeremy it would. It was Saturday morning and Jeremy woke up, his stomach growling and keeping him from sleeping comfortably. He went to the bathroom and washed his hands, checking his reflection in the mirror; his hair was sticking out in random direction, dark circles reflecting perfectly under his eyes as unwelcomed stubble greeted him good morning. He sighed heavily and went downstairs for breakfast. He heard something frying in the kitchen.<p>

"Good morning…"

He froze two steps into the room, his eyes widening. The smell of bacon filled his nose. Almost immediately, nausea rose, making him quickly reach out to study himself against the wall.

Jenna greeted him and turned around, smiling. She frowned when she eyed his posture. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," he replied quickly. "Perfect."

She watched him as he sat down in front of the counter, head low so he wouldn't see the bacon sizzling on the pain. _I'll be fine when I start eating. _He noticed he hadn't eaten as he usually would during the week, waving it off as just going through a busy week and AIMS will be starting the first week of October; only two weeks away.

Moments later, Jenna placed two eggs and three slices of bacon in front of him. He stared down at the plate with unexplained horror as if his aunt just served him dog food. He felt scared as hell; he didn't hear Jenna asking him what he wanted to drink. Suddenly, he began to think things he'd never had before. His hands began to shake slightly as he grabbed the bread and took a bite along with egg. It felt unnatural; thick and disgusting as it slid down his throat.

"Didn't like it?" Jenna asked. He broke out of his thoughts and stared at her. His face must have shown his emotions.

"I…can't…" he trailed off.

"You can't what?" she asked, coming over to him. She sat down next to him, probably seeing something wrong on his face. She placed a hand on his shoulder as she lowered and titled her head to the side to look at his face. "Can't what, Jer? Talk to me. Let me help you."

He looked at her and shook his head and placed the bread down. "Thanks for breakfast."

He stood up and walked out of the kitchen as Katherine came in.

"Good morning….or not." she said, as he passed her without saying a word.

His bathroom mirror was too small to show his full figure. He figured Katherine would easily have at least one for him to borrow. He made sure no one was looking before going inside and quickly grabbing the first full-length mirror he saw available. He brought it to his room and closed the door behind him, locking it just in case. He placed the mirror on the wall in front of the mirror, opening the curtains wide to let in sunshine. He tugged his shirt off and examined his upper body closely. It wasn't as bad as he thought, though it needed work. He went to his closet and looked for sweat pants. He tugged them on and went downstairs, opening the front door.

"Jeremy?" Jenna called.

"Going out for a run. Be back later."

Before he could get a response, he stepped onto the porch and closed the door. He went down the small flight of stairs and began to warm up his leg muscles. He then heard the door open behind him.

"You are not going out for a jog! You didn't even eat this morning!" Jenna protested.

"I'll eat later. Right now, I have to do this."

With that, he took off, jogging down the front lawn and down the side walk.

"Jeremy!" Jenna called.

He ignored her, keeping a steady pace down the side walk. Immediately he felt himself relax, knowing he was starting to burn calories. It felt good; he felt good.

* * *

><p>Days passed and Jeremy soon became very picky with what he ate as he exercised every day. He denied eating almost anything that Katherine or Jenna suggested. Katherine knew this had to be another symptom that appeared along with Jeremy's thick headedness about accepting Tyler. Jeremy had begun to lose weight, sending Jenna and her—especially Jenna—into a red alert on the second day and threatening to send him to the hospital to get injected with nutrients if he didn't eat, which Jeremy decided to then give into Jenna's wishes. Jenna tolerated her nephew's pickiness—some days more than others-, thinking it was better than not letting him practically starve himself like he was doing before.<p>

It was mid-October one Sunday morning when she decided she had enough. The day before she had a fight with Stefan two days before; seeing him holding that stank, Caroline Forbes, made her see red and ended up practically killing the bitch in the hallway. When the blonde whore left, she immediately turned on Stefan who had begun to explain the situation.

"You were _holding _her, Stefan!"

"She fell! What did you except me to do? Let her fall?"

She half blamed her temper on her period. That horrible, cruel process already made her irritated and impatient and Forbes just had to snap the thin cord that was left of her sanity for the day. She had come to see Stefan enough to hear people - mostly girls anyway—talk good things about him; how he was the perfect gentlemen and how he was always helping people out during class. She'd never come to hear that he'd got drunk or slept with a girl before. And that's what got her interested, ironically. People talked about her too; but not in a good way even though about 99.9% of it was lies.

"Jeremy, are you okay?" she asked, rushing inside as she saw him lying on the floor with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes, squinting up at her through the harsh light coming through the window.

"What?" he asked.

"What happened? Why you lying on the floor?"

"Oh, I just got tired from doing sit ups. But it's worth it." He paused and lifted his shirt, showing off his slim stomach. "See?"

She growled and stood up, leaving the room. "This bullshit ends now!"

She went into her room and took out her spell book from her closet. She opened it and began to look for what she wanted. It took her almost an hour to find the solution she needed. _What's a bonding item? _It didn't explain anymore about the item needed. She placed the book down and leaned her elbows on her thighs, placing her face in her hands to think. _According to the book, it sounds like something that is given to…_

She straightened up, gasping. She quickly got up and raced back to Jeremy's bedroom, her heart pounding in hope that it will finally bring her cousin some peace.

She found Jeremy had closed his door. She knocked but she didn't even get an answer back so she pressed her ear to the door and heard water running inside. She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, mumbling a few words in Latin. There was a click and she opened her eyes, reaching out and turning the knob. She smirked in triumph when the door opened, feeling good that she had successfully done her spell.

She stepped inside and looked around. Her eyes landed on the desk and she smirked when she saw it sitting there within good view.

She glanced at the door, checking to make sure the water wouldn't be turned off, before she crossed the room and picked it up. _This has to be what the book was referring to. It didn't give anything specific. _

She waited outside; just in case Jeremy came out naked or in a towel. Ten minutes of agony later, she heard footsteps inside the room. She knocked on the door.

"Hold on." He called.

Moments later, he opened the door and she stood there with the ring her hand.

"What are you doing with it?" he demanded, reaching out to grab it. She snatched his hand and placed the ring on his ring finger, releasing it after and studying his reaction.

"What…"

His face changed entirely; like watching a person who's been blind all their life finally sees light for the first time. He frowned down at the ring and then at her.

"What just happened?" he whispered.

"You tell me. How do you feel?"

Jeremy leaned against the wall, lowering his gaze to the floor as his eyes began to water. "Better."

* * *

><p>When Katherine placed Tyler's ring on his finger, it felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders; as if he was finally reached the surface for air. The sudden feeling of tranquility and comfort seemed to bite down through his skin and into his heart, washing away all the crazy of the last couple of weeks, until it seemed like he had imagined it all.<p>

"What happened?"

"You tell me. How do you feel?"

He leaned against the side of the door, as if all the energy and adrenaline of the past weeks were taken from him as he looked away in shame of what he'd done.

"Better."

"Hey, it's okay." She said gently, reaching out to pull him into an embrace.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

After he calmed down, he decided to keep his voice no higher than a whisper, as if he was afraid whatever had control of him before would find him again.

"How did you know?" he asked, looking down the ring on his hand.

"I looked at my spell book, wanting to see if there was any type of help I could use for you. The book said a bonding item between the wolf and mate can help them with…oh my god I should call Tyler! He has to do this too!"

"What?"

"I'll be right back."

She came back with her cellphone moments later, pressing a few buttons, and pressing the phone to her ear.

"Tyler, listen to me carefully. Did you open Jeremy's gift last Saturday night?... Yes he sent you a gift, jackass…Well go to your pile and find it. It has his name on the little tag...Yeah, I'll wait."

She glanced at him and rolled her eyes, covering the bottom half of the phone. "He forgot about them. Who does that anyway? It's been more than a- okay, so now open it and put on the ring…Just do it, I'm trying to help you, here!"

Jeremy watched as Katherine frowned. "You still alive?...Good, how do you feel?...It's going to help you with whatever you have going on over there. I helped Jeremy, here's right beside me…." she winked at him, he half glared in return, "I'm glad you're feeling better too. I don't know how long it will hold though so I'll talk to you-know-who about it…Don't mention it…Bye."

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he is. But what I said was true; I don't know how long the rings will keep up their part so you and I are going to have a little talk now."

He sighed. "I'm pretty sure what it's going to be about."

"Good but I'm going to say it anyway; you need to accept Tyler as your werewolf mate. So he's not the guy you'd prefer but you need to give him a chance."

"So what's been happening to me this whole time—the vomiting, the pickiness, the lack of self-esteem—is all because I don't accept Tyler?"

"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner." She replied, smirking. "So now that you know what you need to do, we have to get you ready for tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?"

"Monday."

He rolled his eyes. "I mean what's going to happen tomorrow that I have to be ready for what involves Tyler Lockwood?"

"You'll be seeing him tomorrow at school, what do you think I mean?"

He paused, turning the side of lips up, doubtful. "I don't know if I'll ever be ready to accept him. Just thinking about his wolf…and the things he could do if he ever loses control for an instant…"

She suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him so he was fully facing her now. "Kid, there are many humans out there who went through the same situation as you and are now in a happy relationship so you need to be a man and take risks in life. Anyway, I told you before that the wolf would never hurt you because the mate comes first before anyone else."

"That sounds like love, which, Tyler does not feel for me. Not even your spell book can prove _that _wrong."

She let his shoulders go and sighed. "Are you going to give him a chance or continue living your life like you have this morning?"

He fell back onto the bed, closing his eyes in defeat. Before he could reply, Katherine interrupted him with a small gasp.

"What?" he asked, worried.

"I have the perfect idea."

* * *

><p>Mason knew that his stalker moves were beyond creepy as he watched the lights dying in the house. But he couldn't help it. His reaction towards the girl was enough to make him go nuts. He figured it was better to at least sneak to her house and get a good sniff of her, to finally know for sure. When he came within a few yards of it, the wind suddenly turned and he got a full blast of the musky scent mixed with a fruit he identified as peaches. The scent made his blood boil and the urge to jump his mate burning hot in his guts. It was compelling him to take what was his. Tossing his mate down and fucking her brains out would still get him arrested though.<p>

Stalking was a much better route for now. Mason had planned to simply take a sniff, nothing more, but as the wind blew him another wave of the scent he lost it.

The scent was the most delicious and erotic thing he had ever encountered. Will power alone was holding him back now, and he wanted to claim his mate, not give her a heart attack. This had to be done right. After what seemed like forever, Mason left the safety of the shadows, using the night as cover, and he slid through the back door. The swoosh of the sliding glass door could barely be heard even by himself, who picked up the sound only because of his heightened senses. He followed the scent to the strongest place, the bedroom.

The sight wasn't what he had expected.

Lying naked with the sheets draped around the hip and falling down his legs was a big blond guy with a broad and muscled back. Mason stood there horrified for a moment, taking in the shock. The wiry back was so tempting. His eyes traveled down to a tight waistline. The man was big, obviously an athlete. What was his mate's name? What were his passions? Mason wanted to know everything about him. The thought scared him, send chills down his spine. He wasn't gay, he never had anything for men and now his mate was supposed to be a male? Despite all his talk to Tyler he was far from being ok with it. His cock began to become limp and Mason was halfway there to turn around and leave. Thinking this through somewhere else without temptation waiting in full view.

Then it happened. The man shifted his legs in his sleeps, moaning while doing it and the sheets fell down and revealed his ass. Mason lowered his gaze to those two smooth, rounded globes. His teeth ached to nip them, to scrape along them as his tongue eased the sting. His cock came to full life again, wanting to bury itself deep between those two exquisite mounds. As if in trance he walked quietly over to the sleeping figure and tugged gently. The sheet gave way and slid down to the floor. Saliva pooled in his mouth as Mason dipped down and kissed each cheek. His mate moaned, pushing his hips up.

No longer able to resist, Mason pulled the cheeks apart and laved at the starburst. He had it anal with women so he knew the basics, how different could it be right? He nipped with his teeth and then sucked along the mark. His mate's hips pushed back further, enjoying the sensation in his sleep.

Mason's tongue glided across the hanging sac, sucking one in at a time while his finger breached the little pink prize.

He rimmed his tongue around the hole as he added saliva to the second finger. The tip of his tongue bathed the perineum, loving the fact that his mate was hairy below, light blond hair. That actually surprised him.

"More," the man moaned.

Mason pushed a third in, stretching his fingers apart. He nipped him playfully as he stood and disrobed. He didn't have any lube so he had to use more saliva. He pushed his tongue into the hole and got it as slick as he could. He wanted to lick that whole and suck on those mounds forever but his cock was already leaking and demanded attention. Mason would be damned if he just went away now and only took care of himself.

He told himself that this wasn't mating. Tonight was about sex for him, getting his mate under him to get a first taste.

His mate pushed back onto all fours, spreading his knees, offering himself. This was the final sign Mason had needed to be convinced that this was his mate. Mason ran his saliva covered fingers up and down the crease and around the ring of muscles, ensuring the least amount of resistance.

Spitting generously into his palm, he lathered the fluid around his cock. Placing the palm of his hand between the man's shoulder blades, he eased his mate to submit.

Mason placed the tip of his cock against the tight opening and pushed, popping past and sliding in to the root. His chin touched his chest, his eyes closing as he breathed in and out, staving off a quick release. The feeling was priceless. The tight channel was squeezing his dick in the most delicious way, making him moan and letting his head fall back. He grabbed his mate's firm hips and watched the muscles of his back work before slowly sliding out, earning a gasp from his mate.

The feel of tight, soft flesh clamping down on his dick was incredible. Mason looked down to watch as his cock disappears over and over again. His mate tipped his ass higher as Mason's balls kissed his, the sound of skin connecting ringing throughout the room.

Mason's cock became engorged as his release neared, his mate's ass bouncing every time he slammed forward.

He grabbed his mate's hips, slamming that firm, sweet ass back onto his cock, punishing the pink little pucker. His mate cried out as Mason's head snapped up, and he roared his release. His hips thrust faster, harder as his seed bathed the stretched channel.

He almost tumbled along with his mate as the blonde man fell back onto his mattress with a soft grunt. He expected for him then to sit up and face him, call him a pervert and a pedophile before calling the police on him. Instead, he suddenly heard soft snoring. His mate had gone back to sleep, like if nothing had happened. With the afterglow of his orgasm gone, he gently as possible, pulled out of his mate and cleaned himself with the side of the sheet, mumbling a small apology, before adjusting himself in his jeans and walking out the door. He lingered a few seconds on the boy's sleeping form before he closed the door and went out the backdoor, a smile never leaving his face the whole way home.

* * *

><p>Note: Don't forget to review! ;D<p> 


	36. Happy Halloween

First Time for Everything

Chapter 36

Note: Think of this as a late Halloween treat LOL! As for the show…TYLER LOOKS HOT IN BLACK! I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that ;D Felt bad for Rebekah when she got stabbed but the new found sympathy is in the fact that she's not going after Tyler…I think and I hope. Caroline and Tyler's break up….mmmm….mmmmm…well. being a Jyler fan, you might imagine lol. Though I still like Caroline. Way better than the book series Caroline.

* * *

><p>"Can't make me get out of this house." Jeremy said, trying to watch some TV before school.<p>

"It's not that I don't like your hair; I just think it could look better. It's not like I want it to be shaven all off. Anyway, this is how I want it to look." Katherine explained, showing him a page inside one of her fashion magazines. He sighed and looked down at it, studying the male she was pointing to.

"It's not bad but I still like my hair."

She took the magazine away and let out a sigh. "Fine, I didn't want to tell you this but you left me no choice."

He rolled his eyes. "And what would that be?"

"That hair makes you look like a girl."

Right after school, Katherine drove them to the salon, finding a car right in front of it.

"I hate you." he said, glaring at Katherine.

"Fine with me, kid."

There were two women working inside. He saw one of the clients was a guy, making him feel somewhat comfortable there as they walked up to the front desk.

One of the women left the female client and came over, smiling. "What can I help you with, my babies?"

"We'd like a haircut for him, please." Katherine said, nodding in his direction and smirking.

The hair stylist glanced over at him and giggled. "Judging by your face, pumpkin, this wasn't your idea."

"It never is."

She giggled again. "What's your name, hun?"

"Jeremy."

She wrote his name down. "Alright, have a seat. One of us will be with you in a moment."

"Thank you." Katherine and he said in unison.

He sat down next to Katherine on the cushioned seats to wait. Katherine looked down at the male with his future haircut, sighing almost dreamingly.

"If you like it so much, why don't you ask Stefan to get it for you?"

She smirked. "Cause his hair is perfect as it is."

He shook his head in disbelief.

They fell in silence after that, Katherine going through some other magazines the salon provided while his mind just wandered off. Matt still made up excuses not to talk to him at school. When he called or texted, he ignored them all; he felt miserable knowing Matt didn't even want to stay friends.

_Wonder why he didn't come to school today._

He looked up when the female costumer got up from the chair and paid, thanking the stylist they greeted moments before she went out the door.

"You're next, sweetie!" the same woman said, smiling. Katherine got up with him when he sat down in the chair the woman indicated.

"I'm Barbra by the way." The attendant said.

"Well, Barbra, I'm Katherine and this is your new assignment." Katherine said, showing her the magazine.

"You have taste, girl!" Barbra commented, high fiving her.

He rolled his eyes at their girly ways and tapped his foot impatiently against the foot stool. Katherine sat down in the chair next to them to watch as Barbra placed the white paper around his neck and covered his body with a purple fabric.

She grabbed the scissors and snapped them a few times in the air, smiling down at him. "Ready, hun?"

"Let's do it."

Barbra made small talk as she worked, asking him things like where he went to school and what classes he had.

"Cute and artistic; I'm sure you have tons of girls at your feet!" she teased.

"Oh, no." he replied, flushing. "No girlfriends."

Behind him, the male customer was commenting on his new haircut.

"No girlfriends? Come on!" Barbra insisted.

"It's true. It's just not the way he…roles." Katherine butted in, saying the last part slowly, trying to get Barbra to understand.

Jeremy narrowed his eyes, warning her. Then he checked out Barbra's expression. She looked confused then, slowly, realization appeared on her face. Jeremy flushed again. Hard.

"Oh my goodness. Bless your soul, dear. You rock for being so brave; especially in this small nosy town."

"He doesn't live here. He's originally from Florida but he's staying here while his mother is taking care of something back home."

"Well, you're still brave, hun. Don't ever let anyone change you, 'cause you're perfect just the way that you are, no matter what other a-holes might say."

Jeremy couldn't help but smile at that. "Thank you, Barbra."

Jeremy closed his eyes while Barbra run through his hair with her comb and continued to cut his hair. He set for a silent hum in his head until she started to speak again.

"So, you have a boyfriend?"

As he opened his eyes in shock and barely registered Katherine's giggling. He saw in the mirror the confused look Barbra shot Katherine.

"He already had one jock and another one is … let's say wooing for his attention right now," Katherine stated with barely suppressed giggling.

Barbra was obviously impressed. "Hadn't thought you to be into jocks, but each his one, "she said with a shrug. "Are they hot?"

Jeremy's lips seemed glued together and so it was Katherine who answered again.

"One blond the other dark-haired. Both pretty muscular, one boy next door and the other the bad boy."

Jeremy felt the heat rising in his face and saw that he had already taken a different color. Barbra smiled at him and continued her work without any further comment, talking to the other worker behind her that was sweeping the remains of hair on the floor.

A while later Barbra sighed, joyous with her finished work. "What do you think hun?"

Jeremy stared wide eyed at his reflection. He's seen the oncoming process but the finishing touches made an amazing difference. His hair had gone from ear-length on the sides with the back reaching down mid neck to a plainer hair on the back and shorter on top. Thanks to the small spiky top, he was able to see his forehead again without having to pull the strands away. "It's…"

"Gorgeous." Katherine finished for him.

Jeremy nodded, more out of shock about how different he looked than any actual agreement.

Barbra squealed, delighted he liked his new style. "I'm so glad!"

"You defiantly look good, dude." the other woman said, half leaning against the sweeper pole.

Katherine insisted to pay. According to her, since it was her idea, she would pay for it. Literally. That and she knew he helped put in some money his mother sent him for Jenna to buy the groceries.

"Thanks." Jeremy asked; when they were finally able to leave. For a moment, Jeremy thought he would be kidnapped by Barbra.

"No problem; and now you can admit you were wrong and you'll listen to me."

"Well I was wrong but listening to everything you say…that's another story."

She started at him as she opened the door car, then she rolled her eyes. "Good enough."

On the way home, Jeremy found himself wondering what Tyler would think of his new hair style.

* * *

><p>Matt didn't go to school. Fuck, he didn't want to leave his damn bedroom. Something freakishly happened last night and he was trying so hard not to have a heart attack and die on his own bed. He told Vicky that morning he just felt too tired to go to school. She had almost stayed herself but then she remembered having an exam for math she didn't want to make up later.<p>

He remembered the sex as a dream. The emotions and sensations seemed real but it was just a dream. Or so he thought.

He had woken up with his ass feeling sore as hell. It hurt so much; he didn't think he could even sit up in bed. Not only that…but there was a smell lingering in the room he could only identify as sex. Despite his happy, nice boy personality—the one he had before anyway—he wasn't a virgin. His first time had been with another virgin girl named Cristina who had also been pressured into losing their innocence their freshman year. Now, his virginity had been taken away...except this time, it was by a guy...when he now realized he had been half asleep. He had wanted it more than anything at that moment, but he had just thought it was a wet dream. His first thought had been the person taking him was Jeremy, but this person was more muscular and knew what he was doing.

His mind kept popping up the word 'rape'. But, honestly, it didn't feel that way. He had wanted it and the hands and mouth had been gentle. The fucking had been rough but, besides the moment of getting used to the feeling of a dick in his ass, there hadn't been pain. In the moment, it had only been the stranger and him. But it hadn't been only sexual attraction; there was a sensation he related would feel like if he liked this person. Maybe even more but he knew that was impossible. Especially if the asshole had just fucked him and left.

He drifted in and out of sleep, suddenly jerking awake and half expecting for the man to be there in the room again. _Who was he? Why did he do that to me? Why even me? Is it some random drunk? _

He rumbled through his mind and he was pretty sure all the doors had been locked. But then maybe Vicky had stepped out some time and forgot to lock the door. _Or maybe she just didn't hear him come in. _

When he fell asleep again, he woke up to the sound of the front door opening, followed by Vicky's voice.

"Matt?"

He didn't reply. He waited for her to reach the door.

"Matt? You still in there?"

"Yeah."

"Are you okay?"

_Perfect. _"Yeah."

There was a long pause. "Can I come in?"

He was still naked; even if he wasn't, he didn't her to see him wince with every move he made. She would ask questions. "Later."

He heard her sigh heavily. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to talk about it first."

"About what?" he asked, just wanting for her to leave.

There was another pause before she said, "About the man you had over last night."

The response had been so shocking; he forgot about his soreness for a moment and sat up, regretting it when he grunted.

"Matt?" she called, hearing the noise.

"Did you see who it was?" he wanted out, his leg muscles throbbing.

"You don't remember? Oh god, don't tell me you were drunk!"

"I was not drunk!" he snapped. "Did you see who it was or not?"

"I didn't even hear him come on until he practically tore the house down with his orgasm roar! I didn't even hear him leave either so I thought he had still been there with you this morning and snuck out after I left."

Matt lay back down and ran a hand over his face in disbelief. Then he froze and took his hand away from his face, frowning at the ceiling in thought. If this person had come inside the house last night with Vicky inside too, why didn't the intruder go after Vicky instead? Not that he would have rather had something like this happen to her but…why him instead? The only answer he could come up with was the guy had to have been gay. And the only gay person he knew in town was Jeremy and Tyler. He couldn't even dare himself to think about Tyler doing this but Jeremy was not the type of guy to do this to anyone. Nonetheless the whole situation was borderline creepy, at least it should be if it hadn't felt so damn right.

"Does this mean...you were raped?" Vicky asked, fearfully.

He sighed. "I would invite you in to talk but I'm not decent and I'm… sore as hell right now."

She coughed, awkwardly. "Oh."

"But I was thinking about it too and I don't think I was."

"Wait you don't think its rape? What if this was some kind of revenge thing?"

He narrowed his eyes at the door, wondering why she had said that. "Are you thinking Jeremy did this?"

"You're right. That was stupid; Jeremy was at school this morning and I talked to him and he seemed normal. Well he was nervous but that was because he was going to get a haircut after school."

He needed to call Jeremy; he needed to make sure if it was him or not. If he did…well he would think about that later.

He took in a deep breath and slowly sat up, closing his eyes in pain.

_Have to do this. I've been through this before. _And he had during the mornings after football practice.

He let out the breath and took another one to fully swing his legs onto the floor and stand up.

"Wow, he really did a number on you, didn't he?"

"Shut up." He mumbled, feeling his face heat up.

He walked—more like limped—over to his cellphone charging on a white plastic chair on the side of the room. He unplugged it and called Jeremy.

"Matt?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah…hi. Look, I need to ask you something. It's going to sound weird but I just need you tell me yes or no."

"Sure, I guess."

"Were you, for any reason, at my house last night?"

There was a pause on the other end. "Why would I be? You're ignoring me all the time now."

He felt guilty at that. "I know, I'm sorry. I just need a little more time. But you didn't come see me last night, right?"

"No, Matt, I didn't. Why do you keep asking me that?"

He couldn't possibly tell him about what happened. Who knows what he'd think about him. He needed to figure this out on his own.

"Thanks for your help. Bye."

He hung up and realized he was still naked. "I'm going to shower and I'll be out to talk, Vic."

"You'll be okay?"

"Yeah."

He grabbed a pair of clean boxers and his clothes before going inside his bathroom and left his clothes on the closed toilet lid. He turned on the water and left it cold, stepping inside and closing the curtain. He began to shiver under the cold water but at the same time it comforted him. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the hard title of the wall. He sudden urge to have those hands touching him again rose within him, to have that hard body pressed against him as he fucked him hard. His cock became hard.

"I've officially lost my mind." He whispered to himself.

* * *

><p>Tyler had decided to go ask Guillermo during class if he wanted to go to the Grill with him after school, not really wanting to come home at the moment. Guillermo had been surprised with his invitation but had agreed excitedly to come. He was almost afraid the guy was going to faint when they walked to his car so he distracted him.<p>

"So any luck with the ladies since the party?"

Guillermo sighed. "No. And I got pranked on that same night by Daniel."

He felt anger rise at that. "What did he do?"

"He came up to me and told me that he heard Caroline say she had a crush on me. I fell for it and went up to her and told her that I liked her too and all and she reacted like if I was some kind of ugly alien."

He parked his car a few spaces away from the restaurant, feeling sympathetic for his friend. "By what I've come to know about you personally so far, man, you're great. Caroline isn't even worth anything so don't take it as humiliation but as good eye-opener in life."

Guillermo stared at him, surprised at his sincere words. Then he frowned. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to but…I've haven't seen or heard about you 'going down' on a girl anymore."

He smirked at Guillermo's quotation marks he made. "It's fine. I just don't have time for that right now with all the work and football right now."

_Sorry, can't trust anyone besides Katherine or Mason with that. _

"Oh that's right! You have another game this week!"

He rolled his eyes. "Don't remind me. Alright let's go eat."

They ordered burgers and decided to share an order of fries.

"I'll pay. I invited you so it's only fair."

He looked embarrassed. "Nah I can pay for my own, but thanks."

"Seriously, I'll pay. You can take it next time, if it makes you feel better."

He smiled. "Deal."

When their orders arrived, he saw the waitress wink at him. "Anything else I can get you, sir?"

He didn't even blink. "No, thanks. Guillermo?"

"Me too, thanks."

She didn't even look at the other boy. "Alright, signal me if something comes to mind."

"Mmhm." He replied, turning away to bite into his burger.

When the girl left, disappointed, Guillermo looked at him like if he grew a second head. "Are you insane? You just blew off a hot girl! Do you have any idea how bad I've always wanted to be you since I've started to notice girls in middle school?"

_If you only knew, you'd take that back. _He shrugged, swallowing his food. "She's not my type."

Guillermo got the hint in his tone that his sex life was off topic now. He lifted his hands, showing he would drop it as he changed the topic.

When he came home, he felt a change in the atmosphere. It was powerful but he senses no threat. It took him a moment to realize it was coming from Mason's room.

"Honey, you're home." His mom called, coming over to him, smiling. He managed to smile back and hug her gently as she kissed his forehead.

"Have you decided on a costume?"

He almost grimaced. Guillermo had brought it up back at the Grill.

"Not yet but I have an idea in mind."

"Well don't wait too long. Did I tell you about the Halloween cancer donation event we're doing?"

"Not the details but yeah, you told me."

"Well as it sounds, it's going to be a charity event but also a party to celebrate Halloween. There's also going to be chances to win free stuff and all that and everyone is going to dress up. Oh, which reminds me of the invitations; I'm working on them and they'll be ready tomorrow so you can pass them out."

He nodded. "Alright."

She paused and turned her head in Mason's room direction and lowered her voice as if he didn't want her to hear. "Do you have any idea why your uncle is so happy all of a sudden?"

"Happy?"

"I'm surprised too. He couldn't stop smiling in the morning and, when he came home, it was the same thing. I mean it's not that I don't want to see him happy or anything, but I'm just curious about what got him this way."

_Or who. _"Did you ask him?"

"I did and he just shrugged."

He nodded, wondering what had come up. "I'm gonna go shower and do homework."

"Alright, I'll be around if you need me."

When he reached the top of the stairs, he glanced at Mason's closed door before walking to his room. He took his shower and dressed into shorts and a random t-shirt, heading over to Mason's to see what was going on. He knocked on the door and he heard Mason call him in. He opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind him so his mom wouldn't hear.

"What's up?" the older werewolf asked, glancing over at him. He was smirking at him, his arms folded behind him on the bed.

"I should be asking you that."

He sat up and motioned him over. He suddenly looked serious when he moved over and sat down next to him on the bed.

"Vicky wasn't my mate, Tyler."

He frowned, letting it sink in. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "More than one hundred percent, in fact."

"That's good news for you, isn't it?"

"Not exactly."

He waited for his uncle to continue. Seconds passed and he glared at him, annoyed. "Just tell me, already…"

"It's the boy she lives with."

Mason probably expected him to be shocked and maybe even angry that it ended up being his best friend. But instead his next reaction even surprised Tyler himself.

He laughed.

When Mason snapped out of his surprise, he growled threateningly. "Shut up."

When he calmed down he sensed the seriousness of the situation. Matt was his uncle's mate but Matt…was still a minor. At least until January.

* * *

><p>Mason didn't know what to do. Part of him was afraid of the consequences that would come later if the boy accepted him. But then there was the risk of the blonde finding out who screwed him last night and ended up denouncing him to the police. He knew he had to tell his nephew about what he had done, even if he ended up hating him after.<p>

"What's the boy's name?" he asked.

"Matt Donovan. He's Vicky's brother…and a minor until January, I might add. I wonder that you didn't recognize him from years before, since he was often here. But how did you figure out it was him?"

"I investigated the address and went to go see if she was really the one. I was hoping to get a sniff of her again and that's when I caught his scent. I imagined it was her at first but then I went inside the house and followed it into a room, which ended up being your friend's."

Tyler pressed his lips into a thin line for a moment, narrowing his eyes at him. Mason knew the next question he would ask. "Then you left, right?"

He shook his head; a little surprised he didn't regret it.

"Did you touch him?"

He nodded. "We had sex, Tyler."

He turned his head until his gaze was on the wall, his face cold.

Mason sighed. "I would apologize but I would be lying. I don't regret what I did; you can hate me for it but I also need you to understand what I'm going through like I did with you. We're both going through the same thing now and we need each other now more than ever."

With that, he saw Tyler's expression soften somewhat. "I'm not really mad at you for that. As immature as it sounds, I…envy that things got so easy for you."

"It will for you too. Jeremy will give in eventually. They always submit to us."

Tyler stared at him for a moment then nodded. Somehow the word 'submit' didn't sound right to him, sounded like Jeremy would be his servant.

His eye caught his nephew's ring on his marriage finger. He noticed his gaze and a smirked appeared on his face. "Jeremy gave it to me as a birthday gift. Believe it or not I didn't open it until yesterday when Katherine told me about it. She helped me with my symptoms and so far it's worked with keeping the raw meat cravings and random hyperactivity away. We don't know how long it'll work so hopefully Jeremy will soon…"

"How did she know how to help you with that?"

"I'm not sure but it doesn't matter. It helped, right?"

Mason frowned in thought. "She knows about us but that doesn't mean she would know how to help with it."

He shrugged. "Maybe it was an instinct or a lucky guess."

"Too lucky. As for the instinct, humans do have them but they're stunted, restricted or confusing."

"Well, I don't know then."

After Tyler left the room, he continued to think about Katherine and how she knew the rings would help. No ordinary human would guess or know it would stop the werewolf-mate separation symptoms entirely without the help or something or someone.

He closed his eyes when he felt a headache throbbing on the sides of his head. He would deal with that after he figured out what the hell would now happen with Matt. Something told him Katherine wasn't really a threat and he was more concerned with the pull to mate Matt, the next new moon wasn't too far away after all.

* * *

><p>It was the day before Halloween. Tyler had finally chosen his costume the week before; a certain wardrobe Will Smith had worn in the movie 'Wild Wild West', while Mason ended up deciding to be a sea cruise captain. He had given his mother a picture of how he wanted his costume done as his mother had called some fancy company to have all their costumes made by some fancy company she had on speed dial.<p>

When he had handed out the invitations, he had waited until after school to give Jeremy his. He spotted the boy at his locker and stood there for a moment. Jeremy had a new hair cut that showed more of his face. As hot as the long hair had looked when it was lying back with hair gel, this new one made Jeremy look even hotter. Tyler felt his groin pressing against the inside of his jeans and pure willpower kept him from jumping Jeremy right here right now. He shook his head, trying to get the image out of his mind. He went up to him and cleared his throat. Jeremy turned and looked at him.

"What's up?" he asked.

He silently handed him the Halloween themed card. Jeremy took it and read it over. He looked up at him and, to his astonishment, gave him a shy smile.

"Sounds like fun. I'll see you then."

And that's when he saw it; the same ring he had given Jeremy was now wrapped around his finger for everyone to see. Jeremy noticed his stare but didn't comment. Instead Tyler heard a quickened heart-beat and smelled the unmistakable scent of arousal. His eyes wandered down alongside Jeremy's body and saw a visible bulge in the other boy's jeans. He looked up again and saw Jeremy's nostrils flair and his skin becoming red. Tyler's mind went blank and he found himself leaning forward, zeroing on those sweet lips, the images of a naked Jeremy, writhing in pleasure beneath him were ravaging his mind. He was only inches from Jeremy's face when the boy suddenly pushed at his chest and took a step back, eyes wide and breathing heavily. He just slammed his locker shut and said his goodbye with down eyes before walking away.

* * *

><p>Halloween morning and Jeremy instantly felt the butterflies in his stomach. He had promised Katherine he would not chicken out tonight at the party. His thoughts were in turmoil. He was one part confused, one part horny and confident and one part scared of the coming evening. He wanted to run away and run to Tyler at the same time. When Tyler had given him the invitation thoughts of Jeremy fucking Tyler right in the hallway had rushed through his mind. Had he allowed Tyler to kiss him he might not have been able to stop himself from jumping him in the hallway. It was scary as hell that Tyler could make him lose his head that way. He still barely knew the guy.<p>

Downstairs, Jenna was in the kitchen fixing breakfast as usual in her pajamas.

"Good morning, Aunt Jenna." He said, going to the cupboard and grabbing a mug.

"Good morning, Jere. How'd you sleep?"

"Good, actually. How about you?"

"Pretty good myself. I dreamt I was eating a whole strawberry cheese cake without the consequences."

He sipped at his coffee. "Nice."

"Happy Halloween, everyone!" Katherine commented, as she came into the kitchen.

Jenna gasped. "Oh my god, I completely forgot this morning!"

"What are you going to be, Jenna?" Katherine asked, grabbing a cup and going to the fridge to grab the carton of milk.

"I'm just using my own costume again from last year; a witch."

Jeremy couldn't help but snort at that, making Katherine slap his arm teasingly.

"How about you, Jere?" Jenna asked.

"Scott from 'Teen Wolf'."

"Who?" the girls asked in union.

He rolled his eyes. "It's a character from this series on MTV."

"So you're going to dress up as a wolf?" Katherine asked, smirking widely.

He glared at her. "No, I'm going to dress like he did in this one scene. He had jeans, a sweater with a leather jacket over it."

"Jeremy, the point of dressing up is so you won't dress up like _you_."

"Ha-ha."

"Come on, behave you two. Jeremy can go how he wants to."

"How about you, Kat? What are you going to be? A nun?"

Jenna surprisingly busted out laughing at this. "Oh god!"

She glared at both of them. "I'm going to be…" she paused and posed seductively "Cleopatra; an intelligent woman who all men wanted because of her beauty _and _brains."

"High five for that." Jenna commented, giving her thumbs up. "Can you pass me the plates please?"

Jeremy passed her the plates and went to go sit down next to Katherine on the counter top table, who wouldn't shut up about Cleopatra the whole time.

Even after they finished, she continued to talk about her.

"We get it; she was an intelligent woman! Move on!" he told her, rolling his eyes. "And since we're at it, she was actually very small, had a hooked nose and wasn't really that beautiful, she was simply rich."

Later that night, Stefan arrived as a vampire. Katherine went up to him and Stefan pretended to bite her neck, causing her to giggle. Jeremy wanted to gag.

Jeremy was glad Jenna decided to come with them this time to the party, wearing a plain black dress with a spider choker and a black and neon green witch hat, finishing it off with spider earrings and black high heels. Her purse hanging on her shoulder.

"Look great, Aunt Jenna." He said.

"Thanks, Jere, you look…scary." She teased.

He chuckled. "Good."

"Alright, let's go love birds!" Jenna then announced, clapping her hands to get their attention.

"Alright, we'll meet you outside, Jeremy forgot to put on something." Katherine said, going up the stairs again and pulling him into his room.

"Isn't that costume a little too revealing?" he asked, eyeing it.

He imagined her Cleopatra outfit to be more elegant but it was just plain sexy with a tight black and gold stripped dress that reached mid-thigh. No sleeves as two golden bracelets wrapped around her upper arm, a perfectly baring square just enough for her stuff to peek out teasingly through it as she finished it off with a golden headband around her head and golden heels on her feet, her makeup not helping at all.

She waved it off without a word. "So are you ready to do this?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Don't get cold feet at the last minute. Your future and Tyler's too depends on you…no pressure or anything."

He rolled his eyes not wanting to let her see his true thoughts, in his mind Tyler was still a monster. Most of the time. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>"Mom, you should take it easy. The place looks great." Tyler commented.<p>

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Tyler. But you know I have to be the host."

"Let Richard take care of it then."

His mother looked as beautiful dressed as a singer from the twenties. Her blond wig, with short hair was hanging down at the sight and jaw length, combed to one side and the tips making a turn towards her face. She had put a dark burgundy lipstick on and only a hint of make-up. Her arms were covered to the half of the upper arm in black gloves, or whatever these were called. She wore a necklace of big white pearls and wore a dress somewhere between gold and sandy-yellow. A big black belt was around her waist, ornamented with diamonds.

She gave him as look for calling his father by his name but he pretended not to notice. "I will in a little while; I have to get people comfortable."

"They…" he watched her walk away, "are."

"Tyler, love the western look on you!"

He had decided to go with his favorite costume from Wild Wild West.

He sighed and turned around to see Caroline. "Thanks." He paused and eyed her black cat costume. "You look nice."

She twirled around, giving him a seductive smirk. "I know, right? So why are you standing here alone?"

"I was actually…never mind, so how've you been?"

She scoffed. "Steven used me for his own problems before pushing me aside." She suddenly pouted and gave him, what he guessed, were puppy dog eyes. "And I've just been so hurt. No one wants to be with me."

_Oh god. _"That's not true. I'm sure there's someone out there who's interested to be with you."

"Do you?"

He forced a smile onto his face. "Sorry, but no."

She lost her smile and narrowed her eyes. "What does _he _have that I don't?"

He froze, the air suddenly several degrees cooler. "What are you talking about?"

She smirked and pressed a finger to his lips before she turned and walked away. He was about to go after her when his nose was filled with the all familiar scent of honeysuckle. _He's here._

* * *

><p>They all arrived at the Lockwood mansion, barely able to find a parking space close by without having to walk from blocks away.<p>

"Little cold." He heard Jenna mumble.

He got out of the car, wanting to give the lovebirds their privacy in Stefan's car, who found a spot a couple of cars behind them. He waited for Jenna as his aunt climbed out and locked the car before they began to head down the street towards the party. Katherine had told them before they went in their separate cars that Stefan and she would hang out on their own, which was also fine with Jenna, trusting Stefan as the gentlemen she had come to known him as.

At the end of the sidewalk, he glanced over and froze, feeling his aunt jerk back at his sudden pause.

"What's wrong…?"

She saw his gaze and stopped. Matt had stopped too when he saw them, Vicky at his side looked at him with a blank expression. Matt looked hot dressed as a member of the Mafia with a top hat, next to Vicky who wore a knee high red dress with black lace, a devil horned headband on her head with slip on black flats.

He then felt Jenna squeeze his arm. "You'll be okay?"

He nodded, not taking his eyes off Matt who did the same. Vicky turned to him when he motioned with his head to leave. She nodded and went with Jenna who began to talk to each other like old friends.

"You look great, Vicky!"

"Thank you, I love your outfit! Where did you get it?"

He couldn't hear anymore and took in a deep breath as Matt came up to him.

"Hey." They both said in union, making it more awkward with the moment of silence that followed.

He broke the silence first, commenting on his Mafia costume. "Scarface?"

Jeremy swore he saw the blonde smile briefly. Matt seemed to still remember the time they had watched the movie back when they had been together. Matt then shrugged. "Not really; just a random guy. Why didn't you dress up?"

He snorted. "I did; Scott from 'Teen Wolf'. Does no body notice the yellow contact lenses?"

"Don't know who that is but I still like it anyway." He said, then seemed to regret it when he flushed, quickly clearing his throat. "We should go join the others now."

Matt made a move to walk towards the party and he quickly reached out to stop him, wanting to get all doubts out of the way. "Just tell me one thing first: are we ever going to become friends again or...not?"

The older boy lowered his gaze down to the grass for a moment before he turned to him. "We are friends, Jere. I've never hated you or anything. I just needed some time to think things over and…"

He trailed off, something passing over his eyes that he couldn't make out. "And?"

Matt gave him a semi-smile and shook his head. "Forget it. Let's just go."

* * *

><p>"You okay?" Jeremy asked, eyeing his limping.<p>

He managed not to flush. "I pulled a muscle. Its fine, it's just sore."

"I hope it gets better soon."

"Thanks."

Matt felt awkward walking alongside Jeremy but somehow he couldn't seem to label the boy as an ex-boyfriend. He thought of people from his past relationships as people who didn't want to talk to him again, people who would just come to look at him as a stranger, as just another person in town who they went to the same school with and nothing more. It sounded so…cold.

"I hope Tyler is not giving you trouble now that you two are together." he blurted out without thinking.

Jeremy's eyes widened in surprise then he chuckled. "We're not together."

They had stopped at a refreshment stand and grabbed a soda. He almost dropped it when he heard that. "You're not?"

"I …."

He nodded, remembering how complicated his new and weird situation was. "I know what you mean."

He perked up, curious to know about what he meant.

"Excuse me." someone said behind him. This voice was male, and for some reason, he found it sexy and mysterious. Goosebumps rose on the back of his neck at the sound and stared at Jeremy to see if he recognized him. Jeremy looked between the stranger behind him and back at him with a slight frown that told him he didn't know who it was either.

He then slowly turned around and—_holy shit_—did he like what he saw. The man, seemingly older and slightly taller, stood there with a glass of what he guessed was red wine as he smirked. The stranger looked beyond damn hot in a sea boat captain costume; tight, white button down shirt with all black pants that were held up by a black belt, and black and white hat with a gold stripe under the logo that was surrounded by the top fluffy white part on the top. With the lights coming from the party around them, he could see grey eyes gazing down into his blue ones.

"It's impolite to stare, you know?" the sexy stranger said, but sounding amused.

He snapped out of it and tried not to blush like a school girl. "Sorry, did you need help with something?"

The man's smirk grew. "Don't you recognize me, Matt?"

He frowned. _Should he? _He studied at him for another moment before he shook his head slowly. "Sorry…I don't."

"Well, I don't blame you. I never came by often but I remember you when you would come over to hang out with my nephew."

His mouth dropped open. "Mason?"

He shrugged all cocky like.

"Oh my god, how are you, sir? I didn't recognize you for a moment there." He said, laughing and reaching his hand out for Mason to shake.

"Please, call me Mason."

"Hey, I'm going to go look for someone, I'll see you later." He heard Jeremy say before walking away.

He was about to reply to Jeremy when Mason took hold of his hand. A sudden feeling of electricity flowed into his arm and through his body, making his cock harden in his pants. In that moment, all that mattered and all he wanted was Mason. He jerked his arm away and backed up a few steps, shocked and embarrassed.

Mason stared at him, no surprise crossing his face, almost as if he knew it would happen and this would be his reaction. In that moment, he knew who come into his room.

"It was you." he whispered in disbelief tainted with fury. _Why? Why would you do that? Why me? _

Mason took a step forward to approach him. "Matt…"

He shook his head, backing up even further, causing him to bump into someone.

"Watch it!" the girl said, annoyed. Without even bothering to apologize, he ran. He ran like he never had run before in his life, not looking back.

Once inside his car, he glanced in the direction to see if he had been followed. His heart was beating wildly in his chest as he took out his phone and called Vicky. When she didn't answer, he swore loudly, tears pooling in his eyes. He blinked them away, not wanting to feel weak. He was about to call her again when she called first.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I'm going home. If you want you can get a ride with Katherine, is that okay?"

"What's wrong? You sound shaken."

"I'm just cold."

She paused. "You alright, Mattie?"

"Yeah. I'll see you later, Vic. Have fun."

He hung up and glanced in the direction of the party. He jumped when he saw Mason standing under a tree, watching him intensely. He then got his keys and turned on the car, backing carefully out before driving away. He wiped the sweat that formed on his forehead, despite the cold weather. Should he go to the police or pretending it never happened and then call the police if Mason came near him again? All sorts of conflicting thoughts and emotions swirled within him, making his head hurt. He decided on the second option, suddenly feeling tired as hell. All he wanted to do was going home and sleep. He'd make sure the whole house was locked first.

* * *

><p>Tyler was following the scent towards Jeremy when he heard his father call out to him. He growled, annoyed the son of a bitch had interrupted going to his mate. His father walked over to him; Tyler turned towards his old man. His father had decided to go with Gary Oldman's 'Dracula' outfit; an outfit very similar looking to his, with the exception of that it was almost all grey, including the tall hat, finishing it off with the black cane with golden handle and dark circular glasses.<p>

"Yes?"

"Stop wandering around like an idiot! Go help your mother bring out the prizes for later!"

He kept his face stoned and nodded. "Yes, sir."

He walked past his father and gave him the finger under his coat. He felt slightly better with that and quickly walked to go help his mom so he could go find Jeremy later.

He followed his mother's lilac scent into the living room, where he found her trying to pull out a large glass bowl to put the tickets in. He ran over and got it for her.

"Don't worry; I'll carry the heavy things. I'll make rounds if I have to."

She smiled, "Thank you, baby."

He nodded and began to head towards the open double doors when he paused, hearing a heavy panting behind him.

He turned and saw his mom was leaning against the side of the wall, her head bent forward and her arm placed on her chest. Panic rose within him quickly as he placed the bowl onto the couch and ran over to her, placing a hand on her lower back just in case, the other holding onto her hang gently in comfort.

"Mom? Are you alright? Do you want me to call an ambulance?"

"Is everything okay?"

His eyes widened and he glanced behind him to see Jeremy, staring at him and then at his mom, his yellow eyes filling with worry.

He returned his gaze back to his mom when she squeezed his hand, as she took in deep breaths. "No, no ambulance. I don't want to ruin the event. Just take me to bed; I'll rest for a bit there."

"Mom, you won't ruin anything. Your life is worth so much more than anything else." He said firmly.

"Please, Ty, just take me to my room. Promise me you won't call an ambulance. Promise me!" she begged, looking into his eyes.

He pressed his lips into a thin line, debating on what to do. He made up his mind when she leaned her weight on him suddenly. He held her up carefully and pulled her into his arms bridal style as he headed towards the stairs.

"Is there anything I can do?" Jeremy asked as he passed him, eyeing his mom with concern."

"Open the door for us and uncover the side of the bed. It's the first door at the very left."

Jeremy nodded and quickly went up the stairs two at a time. He made sure no one was around before he went quickly up the stairs just in time for Jeremy to push the door open for them.

"Thanks." He said to him and went inside the room, gently laying his mother onto the bed and covering her up to keep her warm. She had her eyes closed but was no longer panting but breathing in deeply with each breath. She said nothing as he sat by her, taking her hand.

Jeremy silently stood watch by the door, ready if they needed anything which Tyler was grateful for.

"I love you, Tyler." His mother whispered.

His eyes widened, not expecting for his mom to suddenly say that. He opened his mouth to reply but no words came out.

"I'm sorry…I don't…tell you that…like I should."

He swallowed, his heart clenching in his chest. _Don't you dare cry. _"Go to sleep, mom." _I love you too and I'm so sorry. _

Not long later, her breathing evened before he leaned over and kissed her forehead, forgetting Jeremy was watching until he stood and turned around. Though he didn't expect what he saw.

Jeremy had a sad look on his face, a tear rolling down his cheek and he stared at his mom.

"You okay?"

His gaze then turned to him, giving him an apologetic smile. "Sorry; that was just very touching."

"She has her moments."

"I was talking about you."

They stared at each other silently, trying to decide what to say next. He then motioned for them to go out, closing the door behind them carefully.

Tyler then realized Jeremy hadn't even dressed up for the occasion, wearing a grey jacket underneath with a black leather jacket with jeans and black tennis shoes. Then he noticed the eyes again, they were yellow. He looked down on Jeremy again and realized that he knew this assembly of clothes. "You like the party Mr. McCall."

Jeremy had a wide smile on his face. "This is the first time I didn't have to explain it."

Tyler smirked. "I like it."

He then eyed the boy's new haircut again, reaching out slowly and touching the little bundle of hairs that stuck up from the top of his forehead. He quickly took back his hand, not wanting to scare his mate off. Before he could apologize, Jeremy suddenly pressed his lips onto his hungrily. Tyler froze, stunned by the unexpected action. Jeremy pulled back when he found he wasn't responding. He frowned, confused.

"Don't you want this?" he asked.

"Yes, I just didn't…think you'd…"

Jeremy just smirked before kissing him again, more gentle but filled with the same desire as before. He responded back, but felt himself hold back somewhat, afraid of scaring Jeremy off or hurting him, maybe also because this was his first time doing anything like this with a _male_.

He felt a part of him disapproving Jeremy's dominance. He felt the urge to switch the roles but the nervous emotions pushed it back.

Jeremy pulled back, panting. "Your room. _Now_."

He quickly pulled Jeremy into his room before anyone saw them and closed the door before turning on the lights. Jeremy attacked him again, his hands reaching up to throw off his hat and slide off his coat to the floor, moving onto his vest.

* * *

><p>His hormones were on fire. They had suddenly turned on like a light switch, making his cock harden and jump on Tyler like a lion. He needed to taste the older boy's lips and skin, feel how strong and smooth it was under his fingertips. He was surprised Tyler didn't seem to feel completely the same way, but judging by the only evidence he had of seeing the werewolf's dick straining against his own pants, he guessed he was just holding back for some reason. He was hoping to change that.<p>

He unbuttoned the vest and threw it onto the floor, eyeing his last piece of clothing that separated himself from Tyler's defined chest. His hands shook slight as they reached out to unbutton the shirt, stopping once he finished with the last one to look into Tyler's exquisite eyes that were tainted with drops of amber. Being they weren't fully colored over, he guessed Tyler was holding back, afraid he might hurt him if he lost control. The thought of Tyler losing control of himself was frightening yet exciting.

He noticed the older boy was breathing in deeply, drops of perspiration already forming on his forehead. He watched as one slid down the slide of his face and pooled down on the collarbone that peeked out from under the white shirt. He opened the shirt and leaned down to lick the drop of sweat from the skin, making Tyler take in a sharp breath.

He pulled away and took hold of Tyler's hand as they held each other's eyes, and placed them on the bottom of his shirt. "Your turn."

Tyler then kissed him deeply, slipping off the leather jacket and teasing the hem of the sweater for a second before slipping underneath to touch his bare skin. Jeremy moaned in Tyler's mouth, causing the werewolf to invade him with his tongue and caress his own.

* * *

><p>Jeremy tasted as good as he smelled. His taste was addicting and sweet, he would never get tired of it. When they pulled away for air, he took off the sweater and stared at the newly revealed skin. His hand reached out and touched the warm skin, sliding it down until it landed on the belt of his jeans.<p>

"Go for it." He panted out.

He bit the inside of his lip as he smelled the boy's arousal rise, making the wolf struggle to gain control. _It's not full moon yet, asshole. _Still, being only a few days away, he could feel he didn't have the same easy control as he could have. He stared down as he hand continued to simply touch the belt, as if waiting for permission to continue.

"Tyler?" he heard Jeremy ask, worried.

"I…can't." he mumbled, eyes falling shut as his hand slid off the belt.

His eyes snapped open when he felt two gentle hands on his face.

"You can. Don't leave me hanging; it's been obvious you want me. I want you too…and I want you now."

"I don't want to hurt you."

Jeremy stared at him, eyes softening even further. His thumb caressed his bottom lip. "Then let me."

* * *

><p>Jeremy waited, almost dreading Tyler would continue to refuse to go any further. He could tell the werewolf was having an internal argument with his demon and probably his own emotions. But finally, after a long moment, he nodded.<p>

He let out a breath, relieved he had agreed to let him take control. He took Tyler by the hands again and led him back towards the bed, switching sides and pushing him onto the bed.

At that moment, he could practically feel the werewolf's need to put him in his mouth but he wanted to first ease his mate into feeling at ease in touching him until he turned quick, needy and without hesitation.

Tyler took off his shoes and unbuttoned the rest of his shirt, the sight making Jeremy's mouth water. Jeremy then climbed onto the bed, coming to stop in front of Tyler and reach out to tug the shirt free from his pants and slide it off, landing silently onto the bed.

He licked his lips seeing Tyler's naked skin for the first time. It now glistened with a thin layer of sweat as the rich skin glowed under the light.

Leaning forward he buried his face in the crook of Tyler's neck, inhaling his mate's scent as his tongue peeked out to taste the sweet, salty skin; he felt as if he was tasting a hot fudge sundae.

He felt Tyler's hand come around and place itself on the back of his head, encouraging him, only adding on to his already hard cock now screaming in his jeans to be touched, to have Tyler's tongue on _him_.

"Jeremy…" he older boy, whispered, voice laced with sex.

His mouth trailed a path of suckling and kissing over Tyler's collarbone and down until he reached one of his light-brown colored nipples and covered the little nub with his lips. That Tyler managed to fulfill his fantasy made him even more horny and eager, he hungrily devoured Tyler's nipple. His cock straining against his pants and his mind again filled with image of Tyler under him, taking every thrust of Jeremy with pleasure.

"Take me Jeremy," Tyler panted. "Fuck me."

Suddenly the door slammed open, followed by a deep snarl.

* * *

><p>Mason hadn't paid attention to his surroundings anymore after he had caught Matt's delicious scent. Only after had gathered his thoughts had he noticed that his nephew was missing and also that Jenna hadn't seen Jeremy anywhere. Mason let his nose lead the way until he had reached a room. The sounds of sex telling him without a doubt what was going on and he mentally cursed at himself that he hadn't explained to Tyler the rules. If the boy would attempt to mate with Jeremy now, the consequences might be dire.<p>

As he was in front of the door all he heard was Tyler begging Jeremy to fuck him, which told Mason the situation was even worse than he had thought.

Quick action was all that counted now.

* * *

><p>One moment Tyler was in Heaven, the next he saw red. Jeremy had been devouring him, making his blood boil more than any girl ever had, he had been willing to rip of his pants and impale himself on Jeremy's hard cock and let his mate fuck him into total bliss.<p>

The next moment he only felt the cold of the surrounding air. He opened his eyes and saw his mate struggle in Mason's arms, trying to get away and Mason carrying Jeremy out off the room.

Tyler had no doubt about the situation. Mason was trying to steal his mate and that was something Tyler could not tolerate. He charged at the pair, ripped Jeremy from his uncle's arms and connected his fist into his uncle's jaw.

When the man staggered back into the hallway, Tyler swung again and again, not letting up. All he saw was an enemy trying to steal his mate and he would be damned if he let that happen.

Then all of a sudden Mason ducked a blow and charged at Tyler.

* * *

><p>Jeremy was lying wide-eyed on the floor, unable to keep his eyes from the sight in front of him. After had regained is common sense and had rolled on his back, the two werewolves had started fighting. The moment he saw them Mason had slammed Tyler into the opposite wall of the hallway with inhuman speed, breaking the wood behind the two fighters. Tyler did a counter attack by kicking his uncle away with both feet, reacting so fast, that his feet were on the ground again before he even seemed to start to slide down.<p>

* * *

><p>Tyler was breathing heavily and his uncle was quick to recover. Both had deep yellow eyes, rage written on their faces. Tyler's muscles were all tense and under normal circumstances it would have been hot as hell but right now all Jeremy felt was fear, any hint of arousal gone from his system.<p>

Tyler emitted a loud roar and charged at his uncle again. The man grabbed Tyler again and turned around to throw him into the other wall, shattering a picture hanging there. Tyler grabbed at his back, got hold of the picture and slammed the broken piece on his uncle's head.

Mason stumbled backwards a few steps but freed himself from the frame with one strike. Tyler used that second at charged at his uncle with inhuman speed again making both of them a mere blur in Jeremy's eyes as they headed down the hall. Suddenly there was a crash and Tyler was on the ground, shards of something like a vase all around him and his uncle tossing away the remnants he had in his hand.

Mason didn't make a move and waited for Tyler to rise. A part of Jeremy hoped that Tyler would stop now, but he roared at his uncle and charged again, to be hit hard in the face time and again. Mason was relentless, hitting his nephew without giving him a chance to recover.

Tyler managed to evade one blow, causing Mason to stumble a bit. Tyler took the opening and ran head long into his uncle, grabbing him at the waist and tackling him to the ground. There he grabbed him by the collar and started to deal out blows one after another, never slowing down, never making any attempt to stop.

* * *

><p>The commotion caused by the two werewolves could not be heard over the music of the party so Katherine was the only one noticing something amiss as she sensed the two powers colliding in the upper level of the mansion. An unnerving feeling crept through her body and made her head towards the source of it. As she was about to enter the room with the stairs she saw Jeremy – his upper body only clad in the leather jacket – run past her without paying any attention. The fear was radiating from him and shock her to the core.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Run!<em> That was all Jeremy could think about. Run away as fast as he could, as long as his feet would carry him. It didn't matter where his feet would carry him as longs they did it.

* * *

><p>Tyler was on his knees in his room, his upper body still naked but he couldn't care less. He didn't care about the ruined hallway or about the shouting on the other side of the closed door between his father and his uncle.<p>

He grabbed the sweater that belonged to Jeremy and pressed his face into it, inhaling as much of the scent as he could. His body was sliced with pain and Tyler felt that this must be how it felt to be stabbed. He had messed up everything. Jeremy was gone and all sniffing would not bring him back, no matter how much of his wonderful scent would linger on his clothes they would fade and Tyler was left with nothing.

He closed his eyes and felt his body falling into itself and cringing into a fetal position on the floor – the sweater still pressed to his face as tears started to flow from his eyes.

* * *

><p>Note: Review, please? *puppy dog eyes*<p> 


	37. Better to be safe than sorry

First Time for Everything

Chapter 37

093022m: Hehehe. Cause he was afraid of hurting Jeremy if he lost control :P No sadly there can't be updates everyday, i'm sorry. No, thank you for supporting :D

* * *

><p>Katherine barely slept; the Halloween night's event still rumbling through her thoughts, keeping her from even holding the slightest slumber for long. Katherine's sleep was troubled that night; the events from the party rumbling through her mind, haunting her dreams.<p>

She had realized before the first sound had come from her lips that shouting after her cousin after he had run from the party would have been futile. Instead she followed the trail of power that was emanating from upstairs. When she was halfway up the stairs she could hear the sounds of the fight over the music of the party. The scene she had come across looked as though being ripped from the scenes of a battle field. There were holes in the walls, furniture was smashed or damaged, pictures hanging loose or laying on the ground. And she saw the older werewolf, Mason, grabbing his nephew by the hair and slamming his fist into the boy's face time and again, the sound of violence echoing through the hall. The sight had been so shocking to see; she took several steps back without knowing it and nearly tripped over a piece of broken vase. The shock must have lasted only a moment, for the next thing she knew, she was chanting to herself and felt the welling up of power inside her. The sound of struggle were replaced with cries of pain from both werewolves and when she opened her eyes, she saw them kneel down to the floor, clutching at their heads, with their faces distorted in pain. She kept on using the spell, not allowing the power to return to whatever source it came from until they both fell motionless to the floor. When her goal was accomplished she turned and began to run to her car and drove off in search of Jeremy, hoping that he was running towards their house.

She had found him a good distance away, half jogging down the sidewalk of a street with his arms hanging by his side. She parked her car to the side and climbed out, calling out to him. He stopped and glanced at her, shaking, his face as white as chalk, his yellow eyes looking jaundiced now. She had to slowly calm him down as he began to shake even more – but from fear and not cold - to her before guiding him to the car and driving home. That's when she had noticed a hole on the back of his jacket. She looked at it and saw it was pretty big; maybe the size of her fist. She parked the car in the driveway and answered the phone as Stefan called her, asking where she was. She just explained that Jeremy had not felt well and she needed to bring him home. She apologized and told him to pass the news onto Jenna.

When she finally got her cousin to bed, she took of his shoes but hesitated with taking off his leather jacket. He noticed her look and he mumbled, "I'll take it off."

She nodded as he slid it off. She then saw him rub his upper arms as if trying to soothe a pain on them while he was walking into the bathroom half-naked. When he returned his lenses were gone and his brown eyes looked said and not jaundiced like his yellow ones. She wanted to ask so many questions but his facial expression looked so out of reality that she told him to rest and they'd talk in the morning. Jeremy didn't reply as he got under the covers and turned away from her.

When she woke up the following morning, she didn't expect for Jeremy to be sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at the wall. She jerked, surprised and sat up.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Couldn't sleep." He mumbled, not looking at her.

She sighed and rubbed her eyes, nodding. "Me neither."

She uncovered herself and swung her legs over until they touched the ground. She then just watched her cousin silently as he continued to stare at the wall, his eyes red ringed with dark circles under them.

"You okay?" she asked.

He let out a shaky breath. "Did you see what they were doing?"

She moved closer to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Part of it."

"How could they do that? I mean—they're family!" His voice got a tad louder.

"Shhhh." She whispered, pointing towards the hallway, referring to Jenna.

He lowered his voice, continuing, "They were going at each other like mad men. It was like watching a battle of a street gang!"

Katherine took one of his hands and squeezed lightly. "Why did they suddenly start fighting like that though? Did…Tyler hurt you?"

Jeremy flushed, his eyes not moving over to look at her hands. "No. He didn't even want to be the one to lead, it was all me." Jeremy shuddered. "But at the end, when I was running away, Tyler got away from his uncle and made a grab for me while I was passing by him. He got me by the back of my jacket but Mason got him off. There's a big rip on my jacket now and…" he trailed off, swallowing thickly.

She frowned. "And what?"

He turned until his back fully faced her. He whispered, "See for yourself."

Her mouth dropped open as he lifted his shirt. Tyler's fingernails must have gotten a swipe at Jeremy's skin. _The testosterone shit bags. Why didn't I notice that last night?_

She bit her lip and was thankful that the cut wasn't as big as the hole Tyler's hand had made in the jacket and obviously shallow, mostly scratched skin. _Maybe that's why I didn't see them._ The cuts were minor but she still thought it best to clean them. _Better to be safe than sorry._

"Let me help you with that. I have some alcohol in the bathroom."

She went and got the alcohol plus some cotton balls from her sink.

"Don't tell Jenna." He begged quietly.

"I won't, I promise. It's not like she can know anything about this. We don't want her to die of a heart attack."

She saturated one cotton ball and warned Jeremy it was going to sting pretty badly. He simply nodded and dug his nails into the sheets below them. She gently touched the ball into a mark and he flinched, making her jerk her hand away.

"Sorry, I'll man up." He said, sounding embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure they must be uncomfortable as hell just having them. How in the world did you sleep on your back?"

"I didn't."

"Here we go again, alright?"

He nodded and she placed the cotton on his mark again, he flinched again and drew in a sharp breath. "Keep going."

* * *

><p>The cleansing hurt more than he had anticipated for such shallow cuts but it didn't compare with the fear and shock he felt when he had watched Tyler and Mason forget they were family and ready to kill each other. He had known Tyler would hurt him when he lost control, even if he didn't mean it. He had been a fool to think otherwise, last night had been a reminder of that.<p>

He closed his eyes and tightened his hold on the sheets as Katherine continued to clean him up. It seemed like hours before she finished.

"Sorry, I don't have any gauze. I'll go downtown later."

"Don't worry about it." He said, as she pulled down his shirt. He turned around to face her carefully. She then eyed his hand.

"I forgot to place it on this morning." He explained, defensively.

She pressed her lips into a hard line for a moment, staring at him hard. "You're going to take back your acceptance, aren't you?"

"Would you blame me?" he replied part apologetic and part demanding.

She just stared at him.

"I don't want to be around him. Give me some time."

She sighed. "And by 'time', I'm sure you mean until the end of the…" she stopped and her eyes widened. "Shit, what are we going to do about that?"

He knew what she was talking about and he shrugged dully. "I'm stumped on that too. Since we can't be apart for too long, I can't simply just go back to Florida, but my mom is going to except me to or she's going to ask questions." He swallowed thickly. "And judging by the lack of phone calls from my house, things aren't getting any better."

"I'm sorry." She said. He heard the genuine response in her voice and he managed a half smile.

"That's life." _A sick joke._

She lay back down onto her bed. "Fine, take your time with Tyler again. But just don't let it take as long as it did the first time. I don't wanna go through another food phobia again."

"The hell I will. If you think I go back to him you must be dumb as soup."

Katherine was for a moment unable to respond at the sudden outburst. "You said it yourself; you can't stay away from him for long."

"Don't remind me," he said angrily. _Why do I have to get a monster and not a prince?_

"Sorry, I'm just saying."

"Well don't say anything if you say anything nice."

"Sorry. So are you going to simply cut Tyler short tomorrow?"

"FUCK!"

"Sorry. I'll shut up."

* * *

><p>"A thousand dollars." Tyler's father yelled, punctuating each word to further reflect the power upon them. "No, more than one thousand <em>fucking <em>dollars' worth of damage done to the upstairs hallway last night! May I ask why?"

Mason and Tyler stood in opposite ends of Richard Lockwood's office, Tyler's mother looking worried and sympathetic to both of them as she would glance at her husband every couple of seconds. Tyler found a spot on his father's desk interesting enough not to look at Mason, not knowing if he was strong enough to suddenly go for a round two in his father's office. The only thing that kept him from doing was the moments with Jeremy before Mason came barging in. How Jeremy had not only accepted but was practically about to conquer him and how he touched him, licked him, and tasted him, the taste of the boy's lips on his; sweet but slightly sour like an orange. That and his mother who was in the room, watching him, trying to read his mind about why they had done what they did last night. He fingered his ring, missing having Jeremy's scent on him.

His father stopped in front of him, feeling him burn a hole into his skull in fury.

"Well?" he demanded.

He raised his face and stared at his father in the eye. "Because Mason thought I had something to do with mom getting sick again."

He heard Mason snort softly on the other side of the room.

"So you guys decided to practically break the entire upstairs hallway until you both took each other out onto the floor?"

He remembered. He remembered the most painful headache he had ever gotten suddenly develop inside his mind, feeling as if it was going to literally explode inside his head.

"Yeah." He lied. "Sorry."

His father laughed bitterly at that and suddenly raised his hand in the air, ready to hit him.

"Don't you dare, Richard!" his mom yelled, angrily.

His father paused but didn't lower his arm. "Stay out of this, Caroline!"

His mom walked over and placed himself in front of him in a protective stance. "I've had enough of this! You are not going to raise a finger on our son anymore, do you understand me?"

His father glared at her but lowered his hand. _Yeah, you better, old man._ "What are _you_ going to do about this then? Give him a slap on the hand and accept his stupid apology?"

His mom looked at Mason too when she replied, "For your information, Tyler and another young man helped me. I was having a hard time breathing and my chest was hurting! I didn't want to call an ambulance because I wanted the money to be raised and donated to the breast cancer charity so I asked our son to just take me to bed so I can rest. Okay, so they did some damage, it could be replaced but if you can't think of another punishment other than your hand, you'll be leaving that role up to me!"

His father's face went from angry to shock then to angry again. He eyed him then Mason before focusing back on her. "Do what you want, then."

With that, he walked out of the office without another word. _Gee, is Mason sure our wolf genes came from him?_

His mom let out a heavy sigh and rubbed her neck tiredly. She turned towards him, ready to say something when she paused and frowned slightly in confusion. She reached up and touched his forehead lightly. _Oh shit. _

"Strange, your wounds are gone from last night."

"I didn't have any. They're all everywhere else." He lied easily.

She nodded, still staring at his forehead before she took her arm back and sighed.

"Alright so you both did the damage, so you both will pay for it. Mason, I'll discuss your side privately and, Tyler, you will be paying six hundred from your account and you're grounded until the end of the month, depending on your behavior. You can keep your T.V. and everything else but you are forbidden to have anyone over or go out except for school or school related activities. Do we have an understanding?"

Tyler grimaced inwardly; that meant he couldn't see Jeremy except in school. He would give up everything he had—maybe except his bed—if he could go out to see him. Who knows if his mate will even want to be near him again after last night? "Yeah."

"Good. Now, if you may…?"

He nodded and excused himself before walking out of the office, no glancing over at Mason who was watching him with a blank expression.

* * *

><p>After his sister-in-law had finished talking to him, Mason excused himself and headed to talk to his nephew. He had not meant for things to turn out the way they did last night and wanted to set things right again.<p>

He went up to Tyler's room and knocked.

"Go away." was everything he got.

He whispered so no one else would hear, "I need to explain why I did what I did last night. I didn't do it just because I felt like it, if that's what you're thinking."

"Go away."

He rolled his eyes. "I did it because I had to save Jeremy's and your ass from having a miserable life. There are rules, Tyler, rules that have been with our kind for ages and …"

He stopped when he heard footsteps coming towards the door. Seconds later, the door opened and he was invited in with a silent sideward nod of the head.

He then went inside and closed the door, watching Tyler sitting back on his rotating chair in front of his desktop.

"What are the rules?" he asked all business like.

Mason leaned against the door and crosses his arms over his chest, looking out the open window towards the full line of tress as he spoke. "Our kind calls the sex with the mate that bounds both to each other either 'mating' or 'claiming'. But whatever you want to call it, the necessary sex act is actually a ritual. Every ritual has a process for which it is _has _to be done, whether you like it or not."

"And what are the steps?"

"The claiming can be done according to how the werewolf, mate, or both want it to be but it needs to include the following: one, it needs to be performed at night, at new moon in the case of two guys. Two, it needs to be done in an open space. Three, and most obvious, both the mate and the werewolf have to be naked. Four, the werewolf has to sniff every part of the mate's body. Five, the passive mate had to stand on all fours." Mason emphasized the points by raising a finger for each.

Tyler flushed at this, awkwardly shifting in his chair. He had no problem sniffing Jeremy but last night he wanted to be fucked and not fuck.

"And finally six, the werewolf has to fuck the passive mate into submission with full force, meaning no holding back the wolf whatsoever. The Golden Rule, the absolute highest Law for the mating is to 'follow one's wolf', to be completely unhindered and letting go of rational thought completely, only instinct and emotions are allowed during the mating."

Tyler stared at him for a moment, letting everything sink in what was just told. "And you said…if this is done this way, bad things will happen to their future?"

"It is said that if the mating is not performed in this way, than the mating is cursed -especially under the eye of the sun-and the participants' fates are bound to end in tragedy. It does not specifically say what would happen; I can only say that no one in recorded history attempted to do otherwise."

Tyler sighed and leaned back into his chair, staring up the ceiling. "So you performed the mating when you…slept with Matt." That just sounded so wrong to Tyler.

A part of Mason hated himself for it, even though he didn't regret not having claimed the blonde yet. He'd do it at the next new moon when Matt would be ready but the ritual was true. "That was only sex and Matt wasn't even fully aware of it and I was the top. That's why I stopped you guys. You looked like you were about to do it and worse, Tyler, you submitted to Jeremy. You are a werewolf, we never submit Tyler, and you must understand that. I could not let that happen. I apologize for pulling Jeremy away …I wasn't in my right mind then."

He saw him frown and sit up. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't tell you 'cause he is your best friend. I went to go talk to him. He didn't recognize me at first but when he did, we shook hands and…he must have felt something because he pulled away and realized who had been in his room that night. He ran off to his car before I could say anything. I'm surprised the cops haven't knocked on the door this morning."

Tyler shrugged but Mason noticed a slight shivering of his body. "He must be feeling things so he's confused. I'll call him later to see if we can talk. But you know I'm going to have to tell him about us or he will call the cops."

He nodded. "Fine."

"What was your punishment?" his nephew asked suddenly.

He sighed, leaning off the wall. "Your mother kicked me out. Honestly, I knew it was only a matter of time, having a paying job and all so I don't hold it against her. Also I have to pay eight hundred dollars for property damage."

"Mine was six hundred."

"Well you're her son so it's only natural for her to go easier on you. I would have been surprised if she had kicked you out too."

"Well I did get grounded so I can't see Jeremy outside of school. It makes me wish I could have gotten kicked out." He paused and smirked, teasing. "Feeling up for a round two?" There was definitely a hint of anger in Tyler's words.

"Maybe some other time. Well, I better get packing; your mother gave me two days."

"I'll check with her to see if I can at least help you find somewhere else."

"No need, I'm sure I can find one near Matt's house on my own."

He chuckled at his nephew's glare. "I was kidding." _Kind of._

* * *

><p>Tyler called Matt as he had planned an hour later.<p>

"What?" his friend asked, his voice thick with sleep and slurry.

"Sorry to wake you but we need to talk." _Dude it's already 10 am._

"Now? About what?"

_Oh boy. _"My uncle."

He heard Matt draw in a sharp breath. "I don't want to know _anything _about him. Did he tell you what he did to me? I'm so close to calling the police on his perverted ass!"

His best friend sounded almost hysterical, making a flash of new rage settle in his gut against Mason. Mate or not, the asshole could have held onto his dick and walked away that night.

"Yeah, and I'm sorry." Tyler sighed. "I know it practically borderline creepy but there are things that will explain it to you. Trust me."

"Like what?" Matt demanded with annoyance and disbelief in his voice.

"Can I come over?"

No reply.

"Or we can meet somewhere, but please, I need to talk to you. I promise it'll answer a lot of questions you have."

Matt didn't answer for a long moment, his breathing the only audible sound over the line. Finally he agreed and told him to come over to his house, not wanting to risk over hearing. "But _he _better not come with you, or else, Tyler!"

"He won't; I promise you that."

"I'll see you soon then."

_Breaking the rules already,_ Tyler thought and a sigh escaped his lips. He opened his window, checked with his ears for a minute or two that no one was near and jumped.

Before he left the estate, he glanced back at the house for a moment. He sent his uncle a message, warning him not to try anything funny or follow him or else he'd never trust him again. The car would be too loud so he decided to run to Matt's house, he guessed that it would help anyway if he didn't arrive via the normal way of transportation.

When he arrived at Matt's house and walking speed, he was surprised to see his best friend waiting for him in the curb of the driveway. When he recognized him, he stood up, his face grim and exhausted, probably since he had not been able to sleep all night. He parked the car in front of the house and climbed out.

"I didn't hear your car," Matt commented.

"I came by foot," was all Tyler wanted to say at the moment.

"Out here is fine." Matt told him, going to sit on the grass of his front yard. He followed and sat next to him but avoided his body to touch him in any way. They stayed that way for a moment, sitting on the cool grass, the silence only broken by birds chirping happily from the trees as a dog barked from down the street.

"Go ahead." Matt mumbled, staring at the house across the street.

"What I'm going to tell you is completely serious and you need to promise me this conversation will stay between the two of us."

Matt looked at him, confused.

"I mean it. You can't even tell Vicky. Promise me!"

Matt hesitated but nodded. "I won't tell anyone."

Tyler inhaled deeply before he started. "Mason didn't…," this still felt wrong to him, "he didn't just randomly have sex with you."

Matt's face got red. "So he raped me?"

"No, believe me he didn't. He really didn't so stop yelling, you promised to hear me out."

Matt calmed somewhat but Tyler could still hear is heart beating like drum. He narrowed his eyes. "Why me? I'm sure he couldn't have gotten more than a dozen girls on his doorstep with a snap of his fingers."

"Yeah…but now he only wants you, Matt."

Matt stared at him like if he was insane and his head got a bit more red, which he expected one hundred percent. By the end of the conversation, he might as well have told the blonde he was a fairy in a pink dress and pretty wings. "Excuse me?"

He got up and set on his heels, preparing himself for the conversation of a lifetime. "I know this sounds impossible but I didn't know about this once too. I'd like if you could let me finish first before you react."

"…Fine."

Tyler took a quick look around to make sure that no one was watching them. Then he tensed his muscles and made a fifteen foot jump into the air. When he landed Matt's eyes were round as can be. Whatever reaction Tyler had triggered with his behavior he was sure that he had Matt's full attention now.

Matt kept staring at him with an expression of pure disbelief. He pointed towards at Tyler and then into the direction Tyler had jumped. "That is impossible, even if I had believed the rumors; I know the territory and I can guarantee you that there is no way you should be able to make such a jump, especially not from crouching."

Tyler drew in a breath and finally said it, "I know this will sound insane but it's true. You already said that this is impossible. Matt…," he hesitated, "it's not impossible for me, it is only impossible for a human."

"Are you suggesting…?"

"I'm a werewolf and…so is Mason."

Matt was about to stand up, but Tyler rushed at him with superhuman speed. The shock sent Matt right back to the ground. He lay there resting on his arms and stared at Tyler, who lowered his gaze.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, not sure whether Matt could hear him.

"Did he do anything to me?" Matt's voice was shaky.

"What?" Tyler looked up.

"All I can think about is going to him and… you know."

Tyler bit his lower lip; he had a pretty good guess what Matt was talking about. He sat back on the ground and sighed once more. "No. He didn't do anything to you. This is just the way we are." Seeing Matt's creased brows he added. "It's like having a soul mate; only that I can tell you that this is the real deal. In our lifetime, the wolf inside us chooses one mate. For me, it's Jeremy and for Mason, well, I'm sure you can finish that thought."

Matt opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water several times. Tyler gave him a sympathetic look. "If it helps, Jeremy went through this too. He was about to fuck me into Nirvana last night and I was about to let him."

Matt closed his mouth and slowly looked away, placing his head in his hands, staring down at the grass below him. He didn't reply for a long time, which Tyler respected, remembering how he felt when he was aware of his sexual urges for Jeremy. Waiting patiently, he played with strips of grass between his fingers.

The door suddenly opened from behind them, Vicky's voice calling out to her brother. "Matt?"

Tyler swore internally, hoping that Vicky had neither seen nor heard anything. How could he have been so stupid not to check for her first.

"Not now, Vic! Go back inside!" Matt snapped.

Vicky gave her brother a stern glare before replying to Matt. "Fine! I'll be inside if you need me!"

When she went back inside, he saw Matt shook his head in his hands. "Please tell me you're kidding, Tyler."

"I wish I could, man," he said before falling flat on his back.

Matt straightened, staring down at him, looking more exhausted than ever. "So what you're telling me is that I'm Mason's 'mate' so that's why he had to fuck me, without knowing anything about me except for where I live and my name?"

"Mason is not a bad guy, Matt, and I don't say this because he's my uncle." Tyler groaned. "I don't agree with what he did, believe me. He shouldn't have taken you when you were asleep but you have no idea how hard it is to control ourselves around our mates. When I sniffed Jeremy in your house months ago, the only thing that held me back was that you guys were there. I have wet dreams about him all the time. He was drunk at my birthday party and grinded against me in my dad's office, since then I know with absolute certainty what I wanted. Fuck, last night I practically begged him to fuck me. Believe me; I get horny right now just thinking about it and it looks like he is turning me into the world's biggest bottom boy."

Matt nodded with mock understanding. "Oh yeah, that makes a difference! Since when have you been a…" he paused, swallowing like if it was hard to say "werewolf?"

Tyler wandered why Matt didn't comment on his revelation of sexual appetite. He could smell arousal, but it wasn't his and so he decided to leave that topic be and just answer the question. "About three years now. Mason said we have the curse thanks to my father's side. About how it's triggered…" he trailed off, anguish and embarrassment forming in his chest, making his chest feel as though it was squeezed from all sides.

"How?" Matt insisted, watching him intently.

"Somebody has to die by our hands." He quickly added when he saw his reaction and looked away from his friend. "I didn't mean for it to happen! I didn't know about werewolves or that I had the curse within me! Do you think I wanted to be this?" he yelled while turning his head to Matt again, now shaking with emotion.

Matt must have seen something in his face as his expression slowly softened. He turned away again, not wanting to be pitied, as he also tried to calm himself. He breathed in deeply through his nose for a moment until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to Matt who was staring at him ruefully.

"It was you mother's accident, wasn't it?"

"I never meant to hurt her." He felt tears in his eyes.

"I know you didn't."

Another long moment of silence settled between them, each lost in their own thoughts.

"What about Mason?" Matt then asked.

"He told me it was also an accident. He killed his best friend, Jimmy, outside of a bar when the guy made him snap by accusing him of sleeping with his girlfriend."

"Did he sleep with her?"

"No."

"How do you know he's not making all this up?"

"Because I trust him, Matt. He's been staying in town because he wants to help me."

"With Jeremy?"

He paused upon hearing the name, images of the night before popping up into his mind. "Part of it, but also with everything generally. He was alone when his curse was triggered."

"So did you tell Jeremy about all this too?"

He perked up, suddenly remembering it had been Katherine. _How did she know about werewolves? Was she one too? No, his nose would have told him. _"Not sure, my mind doesn't stay clear when I am around him but I guess he knew already, somehow."

"And you said…you two had sex right?"

He rolled his eyes, suddenly annoyed as he remembered his jackass of an uncle interrupting their moment. "We would have but Mason barged in to stop us."

"Why?"

"Because of these rules our kind has when it comes to mating."

"Bet you were pissed."

"Pissed is a fucking understatement. We broke practically the whole upper floor."

"Why?"

"I snapped; we do that very easily. I saw red when Mason just took him away like that."

Matt stayed silent and unmoving. "So what did you parents do afterwards? Knowing your old man he wouldn't have congratulated you on it."

"If it wasn't for my mom, it would probably have been a bloody face and a disownment. But my mom decided for me to pay up six hundred from my bank account and I got grounded until the end of the month, 'depending on my behavior'.

Matt's eyes widened and stood up, looking around as if he expected for his mom to suddenly show up. "What are you doing here then?"

"Mason covered for me so I can come talk to you. At least I hope he is doing that."

"How…nice of him."

He suddenly smirked, making Matt flush.

"Shut up, I was just making a statement!"

"Well you're going to have to accept him soon or bad things are gonna happen to both of you."

"What kind of things?"

He looked down at his watch. "I'm gonna have to get back to you on that but don't worry you are fresh into this so you still have some time, I am sure of it. Mason can only help me for so long. I'll text you tonight."

"Fine. Later."

He nodded and walked around towards the next corner.

"Ty?"

He paused, surprised Matt had used his old nickname. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

He smirked. "What are best friends for?"

On the way home, his text message ringtone began ringing in his cup holder. He stopped and reached down to check who it was.

**Hurry up.**

* * *

><p>Jeremy had checked his calendar for the next full moon: six days. This upcoming Saturday. He was scared about the prospect of seeing Tyler at school. Katherine had given him the permission to use her car for the time he was in town. The fear of running into Tyler was his companion all day, what happened Halloween night had been the final line for him. Only an idiot would trust Tyler Lockwood and Jeremy was no idiot. He had no idea what to do about the situation; he needed to wait for a bit, collect his thoughts and lay low.<p>

He parked the car into one of the very few empty spaces that were left as he quickly got his backpack next to him and got out, locking the door and running to the entrance of the school just as the first bell rang.

* * *

><p>"What makes you think the werewolf will join?" Elijah asked his brother as he dressed into a pair of Steven's jeans and grey t-shirt.<p>

"I told you before, I've got a plan."

"Is that what those calls were about this morning?"

Klaus just smirked. "The less know the better."

"Don't you trust me anymore, brother?"

"I just think the less know the better."

"But you trust others to do things for you?" he asked, skeptical.

Klaus checked his reflection in the mirror. "Like I said," he turned and walked towards him, "the less know the better." He gave him a teasing pat on the shoulder. He turned and watched as the older half-breed walked to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Out, maybe grab a quick bite and go to the movies; I'm sick of being stuck here."

With that, the door opened and closed. Elijah wasn't stupid; he'd known his brother long enough to know his way of thinking.

* * *

><p>Jeremy was putting books away in his locker before heading for lunch when he felt it. A presence; powerful, sending shivers down his spine and filling him with fear. He instantly knew who it was and he stopped breathing as the figure was now right behind him. He felt a warm breath on the nape of his neck as two strong palms landed on his hips, soft lips brushing his ear.<p>

"Found you." Tyler whispered huskily in his ear.

He shivered and casted a worried glances down the halls. "N-not here. People are looking." His heart was beating so strong he thought it might jump out of his chest. But he wasn't sure whether it was still fear that made it jump.

"No, they're not."

He glanced to the side when he saw two students coming their way. Shockingly, neither of the two girls even looked their way as they continued with their conversation down the hall. _Wha…?_

All thought left his mind as he felt one of Tyler's hands glide down to the front of his jeans and gave him a teasing squeeze, causing his hips to automatically jerk up towards the hand, demanding more.

Tyler chuckled, leaning down to lick a trail up the side of his neck. "You want more, stud?"

He shook his head, continuing to deny as he reached up to support himself with his hands on his locker as the werewolf continued to message his hardening cock through the fabric.

"Are you sure?" Tyler teased, now sucking on his pulse point.

"Y-yes…"

His breath caught in his throat when the hand slid back up to his belt and unbuckled it, immediately shoving his hand down his pants and gripping his swollen piece.

"Fuck, Tyler!" he moaned, closing his eyes and leaning further onto his hands.

"Maybe later." He replied, with another chuckle. Tyler formed a rhythm of pumping his dick and adding an occasional squeeze, thumbing the tip of his now dripping head. He felt himself getting closer to his orgasm with each movement of Tyler's fingers, his breathing growing erratic.

"Please!" he begged.

"Please what?"

"I'm so…close!" he gasped out, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down the side of his face.

"I can't give you what you want unless you tell me, Jere." He breathed.

"Let me come!"

Tyler let out a deep growl and gave him one last hard pump. He turned him around and got on his knees in front of Jeremy. Jeremy's eyes got round at the sight before him. Tyler took Jeremy's cock in one hand and his mouth opened. He moved closer and closer, being only an inch away from the leaking tip of flesh.

"Wake up."

Jeremy jerked in his seat with a loud yelp, spilling his textbook off his desk and onto the floor with a lot of noise. Everyone turned and stared at him weirdly. Some laughed.

"Is everything alright back there, Jeremy?" Mr. Saltzman, his American History teacher, called.

He felt his face heat up and nodded, not able to find his voice. His teacher stared at him for a moment longer before nodding and going back to his lesson. Students also turned away, while he heard some snickers. He had placed his jacket on his lap before he had fallen asleep. Now he felt the familiar tightness in his jeans.

D_amn you, Lockwood! _

"Psst. You okay?" Anna whispered from across his seat.

He glanced at her and nodded quickly. "Fine. Thanks."

Her mouth suddenly dropped open, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth. She turned away, blushing. "Oh my god."

He turned away and slumped into his seat, clenching his hold onto his jacket and hoping no one else would notice his erection in class. _Great, now my only real friend probably thinks I'm a pervert. _

He expected for Anna to quickly pack her things and practically run out the door to get away from him. Instead, she waited patiently with him, her head turned towards the open window that gave view to part of the parking lot outside. When the last person left the room, she began to pack her things with him, still avoiding eye contact as her cheeks still felt a pink color of embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. Please don't think I'm some kind of…"

She held up a hand to stop him. Finally she looked him in the eye and smiled. "I don't think you're a pervert. Though I am curious to know what—or should I say who—you dreamt about. Come on, I'll walk you to the bathroom."

Jeremy held his jacket perfectly in front of him while trying to look like nothing was wrong. It seemed like an eternity before they finally reached the men's room.

"I'll wait for you." Anna said.

"Nah, it's okay, thanks. I'll see you tomorrow. I don't have a working phone right now."

She hesitated. "You sure you don't want me to stay?"

"Positive. Anyway this is…"

"Awkward. Yeah." She said, giggling. "But at least tell me who you were dreaming of first."

Now he hesitated.

"Fine, don't tell me. I'll just figure it out on my own." She said, winking at him before walking away.

He sighed and opened the door and going inside. He stopped when he saw Matt washing his hands on the sink. The blonde did a double take when he saw him.

"Jeremy." He said, clearly surprised to see him too.

"Matt." He greeted. Then he remembered his problem and quickly went into one of the stalls, locking the door.

* * *

><p>Matt dried his hands with the paper towels and threw them away before turning to the stall that Jeremy now occupied. "I was…actually hoping to catch you today."<p>

"Oh?"

He frowned when he didn't hear the boy sit down to do his business. He guessed maybe he was just bathroom shy. That or he had diarrhea.

"I'll just call you later. I have to take Vicky somewhere anyways…"

"I had a wet dream."

He froze. Another guy came then came in, giving him a brief glance before going into one of the urinal. Nobody said anything until the guy left minutes later.

"Ah." He said, now realizing why Jeremy was just standing in there. "I'm not going to ask about whom it was but I have a good idea about who it might be. So I'll leave you then if you want me to."

There was a pause before Jeremy answered, "Wait outside for me? I'll be out in a moment."

He raised his hands in a 'no problem' indication although Jeremy couldn't see him. "Sure."

He stepped outside the room and leaned against the wall to wait for the younger boy. He felt awkward, knowing what Jeremy was doing in there. He just hoped he hurried up or he'd end up giving others a musical moan show. He relaxed when he came out moments later, not really meeting his eye.

"Let's go to my locker first."

He nodded and followed Jeremy to his locker.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked.

He looked around at the few people who were still inside the building. "Let's just wait until we go outside."

"Sure."

They came to a stop when they saw Tyler standing at the locker. He watched as Jeremy instantly tensed. Jeremy had expected to be afraid of Tyler, but not that he would also feel embarrassed, not after Tyler's violent outburst. Jeremy thought that something must be really wrong with him if the werewolf was still on his mind in such a way.

Tyler watched him and leaned off his locker, waiting for them to get closer.

"You okay?" Matt asked Jeremy.

Jeremy just nodded slowly before he continued to head towards Tyler, always close to Matt.

Upon seeing Tyler's anguished face Matt nodded for Jeremy to go and talk with Tyler. He stayed a good distance away so they could talk privately. He was pretty sure Tyler wouldn't hurt Jeremy.

* * *

><p>Tyler silently moved to the side to let Jeremy open his locker. He glanced at Matt for a moment before focusing back on Jeremy.<p>

"We need to talk about what happened." He began and bit his lower lip again.

"Matt wants to talk too so you're going to have to wait your turn."

Tyler felt a stab of hurt when his mate answered him in an almost monotone way. And it anguished him to hear Jeremy's heart quicken in fear.

"I know you're scared of me and probably resent me too for what happened on Saturday, but we can't ignore each other you know that," he said, eyeing his ring less hand.

"It's not..."

"Everything's fine. If it helps, Mason is alive and even apologized for intruding on us but he had a good reason for it."

Jeremy slammed his locker shut and looked at him. "And what was it?"

He was about to reply when the mild scent of blood filled his nose. He realized it was coming from Jeremy.

He frowned deeply, worried. "Are you bleeding?"

Jeremy's eyes widened then looked away, saying nothing. Behind them, Matt's phone began to ring.

"You honestly want to know?" Jeremy asked with obvious sarcasm.

He nodded.

"You sliced my back with your fingernails as I was trying to get away. You grabbed me and Mason got you off but…"

He did not remember this. After he had watched Jeremy being pulled away from him by his uncle most stuff had become a blur. He opened his mouth but no sound came out. _I'm so sorry._ He wanted to say it but his lips wouldn't move_. _He felt himself start to sweat, the air around him feeling hotter than it had been seconds before.

"Tyler?" he heard Jeremy call.

He looked towards him again, not just in the same direction.

"Leave me alone!"

"What?"

"You heard me werewolf. Leave … me … alone." Jeremy nearly hissed the last word. His nostrils flared and his face was red.

Tyler couldn't respond. His mouth had gone bone dry and he felt the world tilt slightly. Before he could think twice, he turned around and ran as fast as he could out of the building, not caring who saw him.

* * *

><p>Jeremy stood totally rigid as Tyler ran away at a blurring speed out of the school building, the glass cracking as Tyler pushed it open to get away. He didn't hear Matt come to his side until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jerked at the touch and glanced towards the blonde.<p>

"Are you okay? What happened? Why did he run off like that?" He held up his phone as to say that he couldn't have heard anything because of it.

He shook his head, pulling Matt's hand towards the same direction Tyler had left. "Let's go."

He sat down on the grass of the school's front yard, pulling Matt down with him.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked the blonde, trying to keep himself from thinking Tyler, he had made it is goal to keep the monster out of his live as much as possible.

"Jeremy." He heard Matt's voice say.

He said nothing as he felt the too familiar feeling of nausea settle inside his belly. He shook his head.

"Jeremy." Matt's voice insisted.

He kept shaking his head. "Just tell me you what you want."

He heard Matt let out a groan of frustration. "Fine, just want to let you know Tyler told me he was a werewolf and that you were his mate."

His mouth dropped open and he turned to him. "He told you?" His voice was angry.

Matt nodded. "And that his uncle Mason is a werewolf too and…that I'm his mate."

If the world had been cartoon, it would have touched the ground. "Did Mason tell you that after I left you with him?"

The blonde suddenly flushed, casting his eyes downward. "No exactly."

Jeremy waited for him to continue but moments passed and he said nothing.

"What happened then?" he finally asked with a raised voice, feeling things were just going to get more . And he was right.

"Remember the limp I had that night that you asked me about? And how I told you that I just got hurt during football?"

He nodded, feeling where this was going. "Yeah."

"I…lied. Mason came into my house one night and…he took me on my bed when I was asleep—well I was half awake but I honestly thought it was all just a dream. Then I woke up in the morning and…well, you might guess my big surprise." He snorted. "I realized it was him when I felt this…raw lust for him when our hands touched to shake on Halloween. That and plus his expression didn't hold surprise at my reaction when I pulled away from him. Then Tyler came to spill the damn beans on me yesterday."

"I'm so sorry." He said, coming out as a whisper.

Matt managed a small smile and shrugged. "Life is full of surprises. Though I never thought I'd bring me something like this. Though I'm sure that's what you thought when you found out about how Tyler was your soul mate. Which reminds me…how did you find out about all this?"

"Katherine." He paused then glanced quickly. "But that is not important. Matt, stay away from Mason."

Matt sighed. "Why?"

"I saw him and Tyler fight and you have no idea how brutal they became."

He nodded, thoughtful. "Tyler told me already."

By this Jeremy was a bit taken aback, but he found his composure again. "Did he tell you how they slammed each other into the wall? How they yelled and growled at each other? Matt," Jeremy gripped his forearm, "they took everything they could find as a weapon and practically tried to kill each other. No matter how nice they are, in the end they are werewolves and they are killers."

They stayed in silence for a moment, getting lost in their own thoughts.

"I don't know what I'm going to do about Mason." Matt suddenly said. "Tyler spoke about things that will happen if I keep away from Mason. Do you have any idea what he was talking about?"

Jeremy looked to the ground. He hated this part, hated that he was bound to Tyler against his free will. A part of him wanted it all to go to hell but another told him that he had to tell Matt. Give him the cards he needed to play this game.

"I don't know whether it's all the same but I had gone through a food phobia phase and got sick on the toilet sometimes. Katherine told me it had all been because Tyler and I weren't together like we should be."

"I see. Tyler told me that I shouldn't wait so long because then bad things would happen to Mason and me. But I can't just open myself to a stranger. I mean I've come to see him once in a while when he came to visit when I was a kid but the only thing I know about him is his name and that he doesn't live in Mystic Falls—at least he hadn't. I heard he's now working as one of the town's game warren."

"I know and he would probably stalk you. Hell, I bet Tyler was standing under my window once or twice. Stay away from him as often as you can is my advice."

Matt frowned in thought. "Maybe…"

"There is no maybe Matt. Not with them. Not when your life is at stake."

Neither of them said anything for a long moment. Then Matt stood up.

"I'm not even bothering to go to football practice today. You hungry?"

* * *

><p>Note: Review please? :) And remember, killing is bad lol smut will happen very soon like I had said before. Good things come to those who wait, right?<p> 


	38. Full Moon

First Time for Everything

Chapter 38

Note: For those of your readers who are confused or want to know more about the background of the story, please go read "The hammremir" by Simbawriter82 here on fanfiction. He made it for this story :)

Also thank you to "bb1019" for inspiring with her story "Wednesday Night" that she made Tyler do to Jeremy in it hehe! It's a very awesome Jyler story so I recommend it!

* * *

><p>"Why did I have to come again?" Kyle grumbled in the backseat of his mom's car. His younger sister, Gabriela, rolled her eyes in the mirror she was checking herself out in.<p>

"Because you need some new clothes. Plus, you need to get out of the house, get some fresh air."

"Why can't I just go buy it myself?"

Gabi turned and eyed his clothes, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "Why do you think?"

"I didn't ask you. And, in case you forgot, you're twelve! You're not even supposed to be wearing all that crap!" he snapped, waving his hand in her face to indicate her makeup.

"Kyle Marcus, you know that kind of language is wrong!"

Gabi stuck out his tongue at him childishly before turning back around, a small smirk on the corner of her mouth. _Annoying little creep. _

When they arrived at the mall an hour later, he tried to walk as slow as he could behind the two, who got irritated and had to drag him by the arms. They went into Macy's, first heading to the men's area so they could get his shopping over with.

"Don't you dare think I'm going to try on like fifty pairs of shirts." He said, glaring at the growing pile of different tees on his mom's arm.

She gave him a look.

"I'm still a medium, alright? Just let me choose which ones I want, and I can go home."

"We came together, idiot, you can't go home." Gabriela commented.

"To get away from you and this hell, I'd walk if I had to."

"Enough, Kyle! I'm not going to take that kind of attitude! We barely go out as a family anymore and you're always in a grumpy mood when we do! You do what you want!"

She gave him the pile of t-shirts and pulled out two twenties from her pocket.

"I hope I can at least trust you with this. We'll be on the second floor."

He watched them go towards the escalator for a moment before turning back and realizing some people were watching him. He sighed and went over to an empty chair and placed the pile on it, stuffing the money into his pocket. He looked through the pile, grabbing a few tees that took his interest. He heard someone chuckle behind him and he glanced behind him to see Brent, the guy that had taken over for his father the day of his in-school suspension. His heart skipped a beat excitedly and he turned back around quickly before the older boy could see him flush.

"So what happened?" he asked. "I saw that your mother got mad about something and she just gave all this to you."

"My mom has always favored my sister more. When Gabriela says something to me to get me mad, she's doing nothing wrong according to my mom but when I do something or I get mad, she just snaps at me like that and leaves me alone, thinking somehow it's going to make me feel bad and change my ways." He explained as he tried to decide between four different tees.

"How much did she give you?" Brent asked, coming to stop right next to him as he studied the options.

"Forty."

"How many did you need?"

He shrugged.

"I can help you get three of them."

He glanced at him, surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"A cousin of mine works here so I can help you get a good price for all three of them, if you'd like."

He hesitated. "Nah, it's alright, man. Thanks anyway."

"No, really. It's no problem." He insisted, taking away the t-shirts and throwing the brown one away. "It's not your color."

He raised an eyebrow as he watched him smirk and walk towards a cash register. When he turned back to him, he waved him over, glancing back at the pile before walking over.

"Kyle, this is my cousin, Tristan. Tristan, this Kyle, a friend of mine."

_Friend? _

Tristan smiled and reached out to shake my hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Same here."

After a moment of negotiation, Brent managed to get him all three tees for thirty bucks. He felt embarrassed, not wanting for Tristan to think he was taking advantage of his cousin by getting him things cheaper.

But he chocked back down his emotions and simply thanked Brent for his generosity as they headed for the escalator.

"Don't mention it. What are friends for?"

_Okay, now that's getting a little weird._ "Dude, thanks again for doing this for me but…what's with the whole 'friend' thing?"

He looked at him almost innocently. "What? You don't consider us friends?"

He stopped and looked at him, giving him a 'you seriously want to play this game?' face. "Come on, man, we've only seen each other once before and we didn't even talk to each other the whole time you were there."

"So?"

_Okay, now it's just getting annoying. _"Alright, fine, keep doing that. I have to go anyway but thanks again and I'll see you later." He said, giving him a mock two finger salute before walking away.

* * *

><p>Mason was glancing at the clock practically every few minutes, wanting to get away from the office and away from the persistent and annoying costumers who were eager to purchase and sign up family members for a new season of hunting. It was now his lunch break and he took out his turkey sub, grateful to pass on the duties to another employee, even if it was for half an hour. The door opened and the chime of the bell sounded through the office, indicating a costumer had entered the office. He heard soft footsteps head towards him and he glanced over, mouth full of food, to see Jenna smiling down at him.<p>

"Hey, Mase!" she greeted.

He held up a finger for her to wait as he chewed and swallowed down his food, making her giggle.

"Sorry, didn't know it was your lunch break…"

"May I help you, ma'am?" George asked, coming from his office next door.

"Oh, no. I'm just here to say hello to Mason. I don't hunt or anything but thank you." she replied.

George did a quick survey of the two of them and nodded, holding his hands up and backing back into his office without another word.

"Sit down." He said, moving closer to his desk. She thanked him and took a chair across from him. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much—well, honestly, I was hoping to get a job. I admit, you inspired me." she laughed. "But also it's so I can get out of the house for a bit. I've been at home for a while and there are some days when I sometimes just stay home watching T.V. and it sometimes drives me crazy, you know? I want to see some other human faces besides Jeremy and Katherine. Don't get me wrong, I love them so much, but there's only so much you can talk about with two teenagers, even if one of them is another girl."

He nodded, taking a bite of his sandwich and chewing it thoughtfully. "I know what you mean. Most of the time, I'm with my sister-in-law, Caroline, at the mansion now and it gets to me sometimes too."

"How's is she doing, by the way? Is she getting better?"

He sighed. "Not really. I mean she can still walk and all but her appetite is not the same as it used to be. Sometimes I have to insist on her to eat in the morning because she immediately reaches out to grab a cup of coffee before she goes out to work on things on her laptop inside her room."

Jenna looked sad. "I'm feel so bad for her. She's such a hardworking woman, helping her husband with his work."

"She used to help him out more; following him around everywhere he went. Now she only goes out a few hours a day to do some small errands in town. If she's not out, she's just typing away on her computer. Though after work today, I'm moving out to my own place."

Her eyes widened. "You're leaving again?"

He chuckled, taking another bite, and chewing it, pointing in his left direction. "No, just moving out of the mansion. It's there house and I sometimes feel like a fourth wheel most of the time. I'm working now and I have good money in my account so it's not like I can't afford my own place."

Jenna leaned back, squinting at him hard. "You sure Richard didn't just tell you that you needed to get your butt out of there?"

"Actually, Jenna, Caroline did."

Her mouth dropped open. "Mrs. Lockwood? Why?"

"I did some things I regret."

"You didn't bring some…girl in with you, did you?"

"Not at all, but it's not a big deal. I deserve it."

She stared at him for a moment, studying him before she nodded.

"So where is your new house?"

"About fifteen minutes from here. Ironically, it's pretty close to the mansion."

She laughed. "Nice! Hey, finish your lunch. Sorry, for bothering you."

He shook his head. "I'm glad to have some company."

He turned on the T.V. and watched Jeopardy in silence as he finished his sub and coke. He reached out and offered Jenna some potato chips which she thanked him and took two.

"So tell me about the inside of your new place." She said.

"It's a two bedroom with kitchen and a bathroom, of course, garage for two cars, front and backyard, living room, and laundry room that comes with its own washer and dryer. There's a small shed in the backyard that I can store some of my stuff in if I needed to also."

She nodded, impressed. "What color is the outside?"

"Plain white. Honestly, it looks a bit girlish but I can't do anything about it since I'm renting it."

"How much?"

"$638 a month, not including my own gas, water and electricity bill."

"Wow, that's not right."

"Don't I know it."

He looked down at his watch and rolled his eyes.

"Is it time for the torture again?"

"It's not torture," he said, leaning in to whisper so George wouldn't hear. "It's a fat thorn stuck in my ass."

She giggled, reaching out to squeeze his hand in sympathy. "I'll be feeling your pain soon."

She stood up and waved at him, going to the door.

"Jenna." He called.

She turned around and looked at him questionably.

"Good luck on your job hunting. Let me know if you need help."

She smiled and thanked him, giving him a teasing thumbs up before going out the door, the screen bouncing a few times before it closed completely.

His mind went to his nephew, remembering how he'd come home from school the afternoon before and found a text on his mobile stating that Tyler wanted to talk to him immediately when he came home from work. The first thought that crossed his mind was it had something to do with one of their mates. Fearing the worst, he left work early, lying that he had a doctor's appointment to go talk to Tyler. When he had arrived at the mansion, he quickly ran at wolf speed up the stairs. Before he could knock, the door opened and a hand reached out and pulled him into the room. He saw Tyler had pulled the curtains closed, shutting the light out almost entirely.

"What; are you a vampire now?"

Tyler closed the door and head to his bed where he sat down and pulled his head onto his hands, not even bothering to reply. Noticing this, Mason instantly knew something was wrong. Especially when he heard a sniffle.

"What happened?" he asked, coming over and kneeling down next to him.

His nephew's hands came up to clutch roughly at his air. For a second, he had thought he was going to tear them out of his head. Instead, he lowered his hands again. The young werewolf's face was flushed, fury and sadness filling his amber colored eyes.

"We are done." he gritted out, bits of spit shooting from his mouth.

Mason imagined he was referring to Jeremy and him, otherwise he probably wouldn't have texted him to come.

"Not so fast Tyler, you make no sense."

Tyler didn't look up again. "I hurt him."

"At school?"

He shook his head. "The night of our fight, he told me at school. Then he told me to leave him alone, flat into my face. I don't even fucking remember doing it!"

He placed a firm hand on his knee. "I wouldn't worry, Tyler. You both know, you guys can't simply stay separated for long."

"But what am I going to do? Keep waiting for him to return?"

He nodded. "It might now seem like it now, but he'll come around soon. You'll see."

He could see Tyler was embarrassed for being seen like this but, honestly, his own reaction wouldn't be far off if their places were reversed. He stood up and sat down next to him on the bed, slowly reaching out and wrapped a hand around, pulling him close. His nephew tensed, unsure and surprised about the sudden, tender touch. It took him a long moment to slowly relax. He didn't blame him for his lack of trust, he didn't really trust anybody either.

* * *

><p>While Tyler let his uncle touch him, he didn't take any comfort from it. His uncle might buy what he was saying but Tyler was not. He wasn't so stupid to think that everything would be alright. He had seen Jeremy's eyes; he could hear his heart hammering from fear, his nostrils flared and his face turning red.<p>

Tyler was sure he would not have wanted to be with a monster like himself. Perhaps the full moon didn't really transform him, but only revealed his true self. Like in the first part of Pirates of the Caribbean, only that he was a fur-covered bloodthirsty monster and not a rotting undead corpse. He felt cold, he didn't know whether he shivered but he felt that way.

* * *

><p>"Wait!" Kyle heard Brent call. He paused when the guy caught up to him.<p>

"Look I'm sorry for being so forward like that. I was just trying to be nice."

Kyle sighed, shaking his head. "No, I'm sorry for being an ass 'cause I should be practically thanking you for wanting to even be my friend. Believe it or not, I'm not what you exactly call 'popular'."

Brent simply smiled.

"I know, it's shocking." He said.

He chuckled. "Well I think you're a fun to hang out with."

His eyes lit up. "Really?"

Suddenly Brent's smile turned almost seductive as he leaned in slightly towards him like if he was going to tell him a secret. "And very sexy."

_Wait, what? _He stared back at Brent with wide eyes as he straightened. Kyle swallowed when he felt his dick tingle, wide awake and interested.

"Um…" was all he could manage to choke out.

Brent's grinned. "Here, give me your phone. I'll set my number in it."

He nodded dumbly, reaching into his pants and pulling it out to give it to him. He watched as Brent placed his number quickly into his contacts and handed it back to him.

"There's a party on Tuesday night about a little more than an hour from here. I'd be cool if you'd come. I know it's on a school night for you but, trust me, it's going to be worth it."

_Brent thought he was sexy—scratch that—very sexy and is now wants him to come to party with him? Yup, I must be dreaming and if anybody wakes me up, I'll kill them! _He smiled. "I'd love to come!"

He wanted to slap himself for sounding so desperate. Brent didn't seem to mind.

"Sweet, so text me later?"

He nodded, feeling his goofy smile still planted on his face as he watched the older boy walk away. He let out a shaky breath and licked his lips excitedly, clutching his bag. _Man, if only I could tell Jeremy about this! _When he had tried to call Jeremy after many un-replied text messages, he went to Mrs. Gilbert's house to check what was going on. He found out things weren't getting any better and all their phone connections were disconnected. How he missed the guy.

* * *

><p>The next afternoon, Matt was working on his usual daily shift, serving an extra-large strawberry milkshake to a couple at one of the tables. He couldn't help but pause as the couple thanked him before each sucking on their separate straws as they gazed into each other's eyes, not even noticing him watching. He quickly turned away and headed back to the kitchen where they rang him up for another round of freshly finished orders. Two hours into the shift and his muscles were already screaming for him to stop moving. Tanner was in another one of his paranoid moods for the football in two days, making the team work an extra hour, which made him have to call his manager to inform him of his delay. He would have to cram as much homework as he could during his half hour break, leaving the rest for when he went home.<p>

He noticed his manager watching him with a concerned frown as he went back and forth on taking and giving orders from as costumers continued to arrive. While going towards the kitchen to give the chief the new order, his manager came up to him.

"You look…horrible, Matt."

"Thanks, George." He said, sarcastically, placing the order paper on the steel countertop for the chiefs to see.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way, son. Maybe you should go home." He suggested.

"You know why I can't do that, sir." Grabbing an tray of large chili fries and soda with both hands.

"Well, your break is almost in half an hour. Why don't you just start from now? I'll take over."

He eyed George. "Really?"

He nodded, smiling. "It's no problem. You're probably my most dedicated worker I've ever known."

"Thanks, sir."

George nodded and grabbed the tray from him. He then went to go wash his hands in the bathroom and grabbing a muffin from the kitchen before going into the locker room to open his locker and pull out his backpack.

A moment later, he sat down on the bench and began to work on his Trig. He was grateful his teacher hadn't assigned too many problems, when he finished a while later. He took out his cellphone and checked the time. He still had a little over twenty minutes until he had to go back to work so he took the rest of the time to read the chapters assigned on "Lord of the Flies" for English.

When he shoved his bag into his locker, he opened to door, almost to bump right into George.

"Mr. Lockwood just asked for you."

He frowned. "Tyler's dad?"

The man shook his head. "No, I was referring to the other Mr. Lockwood. Mason, I think it is."

_Oh, here we go. _He nodded. "Thank you, sir."

He walked past him and looked around the restaurant. His eyes landed on Mason, who was sitting on one of the stools in front of the bar, already shooting down his first glass. Jeremy's warning of staying away from Mason came back to him, making him unsure about what to do. The bad thing was that his libido didn't agree and already he found him admiring the man's locks. When he thought about it, it was kinda odd that neither Tyler nor his dad shared that trait. Before he could decide on his next move, Mason's eyed snapped to him. An immediate sensation of warmth spread through his whole body. It felt natural to him and that scared him, to a degree.

He headed towards the older man, his hands clenching nervously at his sides. He noticed some people were staring at Mason; some in curiosity and others in lust. The lust coming from practically every woman in the room and Matt felt a touch of jealousy over that fact.

"Can I help you, _sir_?" he asked, putting a lot of emphasis on the last word.

Mason smirked at this. "Just came to see you. A little birdie told me he came to visit you a few days ago."

He snorted, now staring at the guy's empty glass. "Yeah, Tyler told me everything."

"And?"

Matt couldn't deny that he was attracted to the man, making it hard to concentrate as they talked. He swallowed, avoiding eye contact. "Jeremy…told me I should stay away from you. That your kind is dangerous."

Mason's amusement faded. "Tyler wishes he could take it back. We would rather die than hurt our mates. Our wolves are not afraid of getting physical in order to get what is theirs. If I were just like them, I would have gone out to seek you myself and take you somewhere more…private."

His heart beat accelerated as Mason whispered those words that almost sounded like a promise. He could feel his face getting red and he swore mentally, knowing people would be watching them.

"I have to get back." He said, turning away. Before he could leave, he felt Mason's hands grab onto his hand, keeping it behind his back so others wouldn't see what he was doing. He felt him slip what felt like a small piece of folded paper into his hand. His fingers lingered on his skin before he pulled away.

He took in a deep breath through his nose and walked away, his hands squishing the paper in his hands for a moment before putting it into the pocket of his jeans just as he noticed a new pair of costumers step in through the double doors.

After he got their orders, he glanced where Mason had been sitting, only to find an empty seat. When he turned in the orders to the kitchen, he quickly took out the piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it.

It was his number.

* * *

><p>"They're almost completely healed." Katherine observed as she carefully bandaged up his upper back.<p>

Jeremy simply nodded as he eyed his phone. It was only two days before the full moon. Tyler hadn't tried to text or call him, so Jeremy guessed that the sucker had gotten the message this time.

"So what did you decide to display for tomorrow?" she asked, tapping the side of his arm to show she was done. The school was doing their career day tomorrow night. His professor had asked him to be one of the students to display their work for the art section to encourage more people to join next year. He was happy she didn't press on the Tyler point. He had not yet informed her on his decision.

He placed on his shirt. "One I drew about my mom and me when I was twelve."

"What about your dad?"

He grimaced slightly. Talking about his father always made him feel uncomfortable, not sure of what to say about him other than the fact that he was pretty much a stranger now. He had left to start a brand new life with another woman. His grandparents from his dad's side were no help. They basically just took their son's side, blaming his mother for not being a good wife. The grandparents from his mother's side were furious about their insults and warned their daughter not to invite them over to see him anymore. When grandpa died, his grandmother got heartbroken and was not the same ever since, keeping herself locked up in her house and paying others to do bring the things she needed.

Katherine must have understood his awkward silence because she simply reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "So anything else you need?"

He shook his head but gave her a small smile. "Thanks."

"I'll be next door."

He nodded, turned back around and placed on his ring absentmindedly. He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, flossing and doing mouthwash when he heard a heard a knock at the door. He glanced to see Jenna poking her head in through the door. She spotted him and waved. "Have a moment?"

He dried his hands and nodded. "Sure."

She came in, putting her hands into her pockets as she watched him step back into the room.

"So what's up?" He motioned for her to sit on his bad.

She smiled and sat down. "Lockwoods are irresistible aren't they?"

"What…?" Jeremy felt a cold shiver running down his spine.

"There isn't really anything between me and Mason even with everything we had experienced."

He bit his lip.

"Come on, Jere, it's not like I'm going to go to shout it out to the town. You can admit it."

"You can't know that."

She raised an eyebrow in a typical 'are you serious' way. "You are a seventeen year old boy Jeremy; you are very easy to read."

Jeremy's mouth was suddenly dry and he had to catch himself. "It's not what you think."

They both stayed in silence. He saw Jenna's eyes never leaving him, a small smirk now on her face, telling him she was still waiting for his answer.

He sighed, throwing up his arms in defeat. "I… we sorta broke up." When she shot him another questioning look he quickly added. "We were never together."

Her mouth dropped open, but only for a second or so. "Really?"

He nodded.

She nodded, thinking it over. "That is… surprising."

"Why? Did you think we were together?"

Her face grew serious. "I had my suspicions. It was obvious that you weren't really interested in Matt and believe it or not but this town has eyes and ears. I always hear when Stefan sneaks in to visit Katherine." Then she turned her head towards the door. "By the way he can leave now!"

Jeremy could hear a loud gasp coming from Katherine's room and then the door opened and close, followed by the sounds of walking of two people who were getting as much distance between them and the room as fast as possible.

Jenna turned towards Jeremy again and continued, "So are you two…?"

"We're done."

She nodded but did not say any word and silence settled between them as Jeremy continued to stand and Jenna to just sit.

Katherine suddenly appeared at the door with a still slightly red face. "Time to go."

Jenna gave him a 'we'll continue this later' look and clapped her hands on her thighs as she stood up. "Don't stay out too late and do anything I wouldn't." She said to Katherine whose face became scarlet again in an instant.

On the way to the game, Jeremy texted Matt to tell him he was on the way there. Matt replied that he'd be waiting in the parking lot.

**By the way, Mason is here.**

When they arrived, Matt came up to them, greeting Katherine.

"Hey, Mattie. Is Vicky waiting for us?"

"Yeah she's on the first set of bleachers. She'll wave to you."

"Alright, good luck."

"Thanks."

Jeremy nodded at her, saying he'd join them later. He watched her leave for a moment before he focused back on Matt, leaning against the passenger door.

"You okay?" he asked the blonde.

He nodded. "Hanging on. I get nervous when I'm around him. I keep remembering what you said on Monday."

He sighed, feeling the immediate guilt for his friend. "If he's anything like his nephew he won't give up easily, so be careful around him."

Matt frowned. "You can use his name, you know. And I knew him for some time; he's not a bad guy you know."

_I believe that when I see it. _"No offense Matt but discussing my stalker wolf with my ex-boyfriend is way too weird for me."

The older boy nodded, as his phone suddenly rang once.

"Sorry." He said, pulling it out from his pocket and checking to see who it was.

Matt sighed. "I have to get ready so wish me luck?"

He forced a smile, "Always."

The girls called out to him as he searched the bleachers. He went up the stairs and sat down next to Vicky. He suddenly felt shy, not knowing if she knew why Matt and he were no longer together.

She just smiled and wrapped his arm around him in a friendly gesture. "No hard feelings. I'm glad you two at least are hanging out again."

_You wouldn't if you knew the actual reason for that._

Katherine gasped loudly next to them, making both of them glance at her.

"What was the bitch thinking? Nobody in their right mind would wear pink skinny jeans with an orange sweater! Was she born under a rock?"

Vicky smirked at him, rolling her eyes at his cousin's outrage.

"Hey, are you going to career night tomorrow?" she asked him.

He nodded. "I even did my teacher the favor of having of my drawings as one of the displays."

"Sweet! You just gave me a reason to go."

He chuckled. "Thanks."

* * *

><p>Tyler was sitting down on the bench in his uniform, cellphone in his hand and helmet on the floor when Matt returned.<p>

"He's here." the blonde informed, opening his locker to begin changing.

He nodded, trying to force down the twinge of jealousy that he had for his best friend at knowing Jeremy had more connection with the blonde than he should have with him.

"Don't let Mason get to you. Believe it or not, I'm sure he has more control over himself than I do since he's been with it more than I have."

"How long?" Matt asked, trying to sound casual but Tyler could make out an increase of heart beat as well as a slight pitch in his friends voice.

His lips twitched slightly at that. "About eight years."

"Wow that's a lot of women."

He raised an eyebrow at him. Matt immediately looked like he wanted to take back his comment. "Not that I give a damn shit."

Tyler left that uncommented.

Matt opened his mouth as to say something, but before he could reply, Coach Tanner's booming voice was heard over the locker room. "It's time, boys! Go make us proud!"

* * *

><p>When the game ended with a close 40 to 42, Mystic Fall's winning for a second time in a row for the year. They waited for the majority of the people to leave before they got up, Katherine running into Stefan's arms and kissing him deeply for his win. Matt came over to Jeremy, smiling.<p>

"Awesome job." He told him.

"Thanks, I still have the adrenaline."

Vicky hugged Matt, congratulating him afterwards with a punch on the shoulders.

"Thanks, Vic. Couldn't have done without you."

He saw Tyler hanging silently behind Matt a couple of feet away, talking to Mason. Mason glanced at him for a moment before focusing on Matt. Tyler only managed to give him a brief glance – the look sent shivers down Jeremy's spine and images of smashed walls came into his mind - before he said one last word to Mason and walking towards the direction of the locker rooms.

He wrapped his arms around himself, feeling cold as hell, even though he had a jacket on.

* * *

><p>Matt noticed the look on Jeremy's slightly paler face and followed his gaze just in time for Tyler to disappear into the locker room.<p>

"Nice game."

His eyes widened when he heard Mason's voice, the scent of sandalwood filled his nose. He turned around to face the older man. "Thank you…sir."

Mason smiled and stuck out his hand. The feeling of déjà vu hit Matt as he stared down nervously at the hand in front of him. Would he feel what he felt that night? It would look rude and strange to reject the man's handshake so he reached out and braced himself for what would come next.

As soon as their hands touched again, he had the urge to jump him. No one else in the world existed but them. Surprisingly Mason gave his hand one quick shake before he released him.

"I have go get going, work tomorrow." He said before excusing himself and walking away in the direction of the parking lot. He watched as the werewolf suddenly got stopped by an older woman in her mid-thirties. She smiled and told him something, touching his arm briefly with flirtatious intentions – an invitation that made Matt instantly jealous. He was so focused on the scene; he didn't hear his sister calling to him. Mason gave the woman a smile before he walked away from her without giving her another glance. It was strange; the woman wasn't gorgeous but her looks caused a few men to look her way since Mason had walked away. This caused a puff of triumph to rise in his chest.

"Matt!" Vicky yelled, slapping his arm. "Did you fall asleep?"

He jumped and turned to her. "Sorry. What?"

"You should go and change so we can go. It's getting cold."

He nodded, "Yeah." He then turned to Jeremy who was looking at him with a 'I think I know what you're feeling right now' expression. At least he thought that's what it was; Jeremy's thin lips gave Matt some concerns.

"We should get going too." Katherine commented.

* * *

><p>Tyler was waiting for him when he arrived to his locker. He took off his shoulder pads and stared at his raven haired boy's back.<p>

"I've decided." He whispered, knowing Tyler would be able to hear him.

His best friend turned to him, seeming to know what he was talking about. He stared at him, waiting.

He licked his lips, clenching and unclenching his hands. He glanced in the direction of the remaining voices before shaking his head and turning to open his locker and get changed.

Once outside, He saw Tyler watching him as they headed to the parking lot. His phone began to ring, knowing it was Vicky who was getting impatient in the car.

"I'm guessing you're trying to tell me you're going to accept him." Tyler said, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

He flushed. "I don't want to be alone, anymore, Ty. I know I have Vicky but she…doesn't make me feel like Mason does."

"Obviously."

He shot him a dirty look. "But I don't know how I'm going to do this since your parents…"

"Mason has his own place now."

His eyes widened. "Since when?"

"Since yesterday."

"And _since _when were you going to tell me this?"

"I told you just now." He replied, shrugging nonchalantly.

He rolled his eyes. "I'll see you later."

"You're going to him tonight?" Tyler asked with a flat tone to his voice.

"Why not?"

Tyler stared at him and shook his head. "Nothing."

There was silence between them and Matt tried to read Tyler's face. "Do you love Mason now?"

Matt thought about it for a second. "Maybe not now but, eventually, in time. I'm sure its not too different than being with a human."

Tyler simply nodded, seeming to think about his words. He back over to place a hand on his shoulder in reassurance for a moment before walking away.

"Hey, Matt!" Tyler called.

He paused and glanced behind him.

The wolf boy gave him a smirk. "Don't worry about anything else tonight. He'll be right behind you, if you know what I mean."

He couldn't help but smirk back as he shot him the middle finger.

* * *

><p>Tyler hoped that he had hidden his anger and frustration well. Why was it that Mason's mate just accepted him and his was practically terrified? Was Tyler so bad? Was it fate or what? There was no way in his mind that Matt would go to a guy he thought was dangerous. So did Mason. Not only did he get the chill gene, he got the full package? What was next, that his uncle had a huge dick?<p>

When he reached his car, he put his hand on the roof and began to breath steadily and counting to ten. He knew it was of no use and his uncle wasn't to blame for getting Matt. It was him who was to blame for not getting Jeremy. His uncle had made clear that Jeremy was his, but Tyler blew it. He got something presented on a silver platter but he couldn't keep it. He raised his left arm, balled his hand into a fist and slammed down, coming to halt only an inch away from the metal of his car.

* * *

><p>Jeremy stared at his back in the mirror. His scratches were almost completely gone -the scab had fallen off the day before - not uncomfortable anymore when he moved, making it able to sleep on his back again. He sighed and leaned against the open door, Tyler slipping into his mind. Before Mason had barged in, being with him in that moment, touching him and tasting those lips felt like the most heavenly moment of his entire life. He couldn't deny he wanted him, cause he did. So bad it hurt. He would have fucked Tyler if it hadn't been for Mason. The fight had been a real eye-opener. Tyler was a monster, no matter what intentions he might have had, this was a fact, fault or not. Full moon was practically there, so Tyler's true nature would be revealed.<p>

He walked over to his door and opened it, listening. The television was on but he didn't hear any voices.

Jeremy then walked back to his bed and reached under his bed, pulling out a moderate sized bottle.

* * *

><p>Tyler was in fucking paradise. Jeremy sinking in until Tyler's whole body buzzed from the cock thrusting in and out of him.<p>

Tyler's mind was fragmenting as Jeremy pounded flesh against flesh. He bit his bottom lip, his cock bobbing freely as he clawed the sheets.

Tyler opened his eyes and saw that for some reason he had fallen asleep in front of the gay porn he had been playing. He noticed that he had dreamed the scene he just watched. Why he still looked at them for inspiration if Jeremy rejected him anyway was a myth to him. He turned the laptop off without bothering to close any running programs.

* * *

><p>Katherine took some milk out of the fridge. As she took a large mouthful she heard someone rattling at the door.<p>

* * *

><p>"And where do you think you're going-? Katherine called but suddenly stopped. He had a pretty good guess why. He clutched the bottle in his hand, his other turning the knob and opening the door, cold air hitting him like a fist to the face.<p>

He didn't turn around when he answered, "Out."

He was about to step out when he froze. Katherine. Her powers. He remembered now; she had promised him to share her powers with him for protection. In the situation he was about to step himself into, he would need it for sure.

He closed the door again and faced her now, trying not to waver as the first few swallows from the dark liquid has begun to take their effect. He went up to her and stared at her straight in the eye as she gave his bottled-stash a last lingering stare.

"A while ago you said you would go through his promise of sharing your powers with me. I'd like them now," he paused. "Please."

She raised both of her brows. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Don't try to act stupid."

She narrowed her eyes at this. "You expect me to give you supernatural ability when you're clearly showing me right now you have no responsibility in that thick- headed head of yours?"

He glared at her fiercely. "You promised me!"

"I need you to show me you deserve them!"

"You don't deserve them either! Even Aunt Jenna knows you're nothing but a rich, spoiled whore!"

If looks could kill, he would have dropped dead right then and there.

"At least Stefan is a prince charming and not some fucking werewolf monster that almost tore his mate in half the last time they were together!"

His anger flew out of him at that, replaced by shock, hurt, and betrayal.

"What is all that arguing I hear? What's going on?" Jenna demanded from upstairs.

Neither of them even looked up at her as he and Katherine continued to stare resentfully at each other.

"I'm spending the night at Matt's. Don't wait up for me, Aunt Jenna." He said, emotionless as he then turned and walked out of the house, not really listening to anything called after that.

It felt like hours later when he parked his car in front of the Lockwood residence, his hand never letting go of the bottle he had rested on his lap. He glanced over at the mansion and could see only one window was lit up in the house besides the lights outside that illuminated the porch. He sighed and grabbed the flashlight he had bought moments ago from the hardware store down town. He then climbed out, immediately shivering when the cold weather welcomed him.

He tried not to think about as he locked the door and walked along the trees as he crossed the huge front yard. He waited to turn on his flashlight until he arrived on the backyard, giving the item a few good smacks on the side before it turned on. He almost gasped aloud when he heard the backdoor open, low voices barely overheard over the mildly aggressive wind. He quickly turned off his flashlight and crouched down next to the wall. His eyes widened when he recognized Tyler and Mason, watching them walk down a road without any sort of light to guide them. He guessed they must have a good night vision. He watched as they disappeared further down in the road before he stood up. He waited a few minutes before he followed in their direction, turning his flashlight back on to keep him from getting lost or tripping over anything in his path.

The path was pretty long on foot, the cold weather not helping in anyway. But he finally came to a stop when he saw a sort of underground opening a few feet ahead. He showed his flashlight around, making sure there were no signs of people or of Tyler and Mason before he stepped closer to the opening. He glance inside curiously but found he could see nothing but darkness with his ordinary human vision. He then checked it with his flashlight, coming to see there was nothing or no one in sight but a wooden stairway that led down to a tunnel. The bent down to the side to check it out further and saw the tunnel came to stop not much further than from a closed wide-sized door where he imagined was the only entrance that the two guys had taken. Now came challenging decision: wait or go inside? Out here, yeah, it was cold but it would be better than the risk of getting himself killed by two different werewolves.

After a moment of hesitation, he turned away from the opening and found himself a dry patch of dirt on the ground in front of a tree to wait. He looked down at the bottle for a moment before placing it down to the side. His stomach feeling queasy and feeling light headed as it effects warmed him up like a bonfire. He curled his legs up against him and pulled his hoodie cap over his best before sticking his free hand in the front pockets of his sweatshirt, supporting his head against the tree.

* * *

><p>Tyler moved more on instinct than anything as he unchained himself and stood up to remove them from the walls hours later. He glanced at Mason who was still lying on the ground. A pike of worry filled his gut and walked towards him when he heard his uncle's mumble to give him a moment.<p>

When Mason was ready, he helped the older man up then grabbed the now half empty container of wolfbane, grimacing as he remembered the taste when he swallowed some before they had both chained themselves to the walls earlier. Mason then got this things as he placed on his socks and shoes and headed out, both of them silent and just wanting to go to bed. He felt bad when he remembered his uncle still had to drive home. Moments later, they were both outside, greedily taking in the fresh air as it cooled the sweat off their bodies. He hadn't even taken one step up the stairs when he froze, tilting his nose up to sniff. There was a smell of alcohol in the air along with…

_No fucking way. _

He made his way quickly up the stairs and looked around, seconds later, spotting a body curled up on the ground. Jeremy's body. He felt his uncle join him seconds later and pause when he spotted Jeremy too.

"What the…?" the older werewolf trailed off.

Without another thought, he walked to where his mate lay and knelt down in front of him as he placed the chains and wolfsbane aside to place a hand gently on the boy's shoulder, shaking lightly.

"Jeremy, wake up."

The wind had picked up but still managed to hear the soft moan as his mate woke up. He opened his eyes and frowned as if trying to remember where he was. He lifted his head, squinting up at him for a second before his eyes widened.

"Tyler."

"What are you doing out here?" he shook his head quickly, dismissing Jeremy as he opened his mouth to reply. "Never mind. Let's go."

He was surprised not to hear protests from the boy as he picked him up in his arms bridal style. He glanced over at Mason who was staring at them with a blank expression.

"You'll be okay?" the older man asked. He had a feeling he was mostly referring to his state of control around Jeremy than if he was strong enough to head home on his own. He would come back for the stuff in the morning.

He gave him a nod, curling Jeremy closer against his body to keep him warm as he then headed back towards the mansion.

Once inside his room, he could clearly smell the faint smell of alcohol on Jeremy. He rolled his eyes and went over to his bed to lay him down for a while to rest for while he showered before taking him home.

As he leaned down over the bed, Jeremy quickly wrapped his arms over his neck, burying his face in the crook of his neck. "I don't wanna sleep yet."

"Then stay here while I clean up. I'll take you home after."

"No." he whined, sounding childish. "I wanna stay here with you."

"You're drunk and you need to go home."

"Can't make me."

He sighed and straighten up, looking down at him the same time he looked up through heavy lidded eyes, a small trace of a smirk on the corners of his mouth.

"At least call Jenna to tell her-

"Katherine probably told her by now I'm staying with Matt…or maybe she just told her the truth for all I know." He added, a deep chuckle rumbling in his chest.

"Fine, you can stay for tonight but I still have to shower."

"Can I join?"

His eyes widened, making Jeremy's smirk widen.

His mouth gaped open like a fish for a second before he swallowed. "I don't think it's a good idea."

His mate struggled lightly in his arms, telling him to put him down. He rolled his eyes and placed him down, keeping his hand around his waist as the boy struggled to stand up. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

With that, Jeremy leaned up and kissed him, taking him by surprise and letting his warm tongue slide into his mouth to touch his own. His muscles instantly tightened, feeling his dark side itch for control so he could slam Jeremy onto the bed and fuck him until dawn. _You don't control me anymore tonight. _He growled and tightened his grip on Jeremy, his dick becoming hard in his shorts.

Pulling away for air, staring down into his mate's now flushed face. There was no doubt he wanted more but there was still traces of fear in those chocolate brown eyes. Without thinking, he slowly traced his fingers up the boy's back until he felt the light scratchy area of where he had easily torn the skin. Part of him expected for this to be Jeremy's eye-opener and push him away, demanding for him to take him home and tell him how stupid he was for coming. Instead, young boy shivered under his touch as he gently traced the faint scars along the lines.

"I'm sorry." He heard himself say. It was so soft, for a second, he thought he had imagined it. Then he saw his expression soften and reached up to touch the side of his face before kissing him again. With this, he then guided Jeremy slowly back towards the bathroom, knowing they probably weren't going to go tomorrow anyway but would be worth it.

* * *

><p>Matt sat in his car on the side of the road, fingertips simply brushing on top of his cellphone keyboard, not pushing but just touching. This would be the text message that would forever change his life. No turning back. He slowly began to type.<p>

**Address, please. **

He wondered if Mason would figure out who it was. He pressed the 'send' button and stared down at the blinking dots that indicated the message was being processed. Then seconds later, it was done. His heart was pounding so hard against his ribcage; he thought his bones would break. It seemed like hours, though it was only minutes, when Mason replied with his address. Indeed, he was not stupid.

Matt softly placed his foot on the pedal and carefully drove his car back on the road, heading towards his new destination. Surprisingly, it wasn't too far from where he was. He could have been there in no longer than twenty minutes but at his 20 miles per hour speed he got there in thirty, ignoring the annoyed honking drivers that he signaled for them to pass.

**Lost? **Mason messaged.

He sighed and pushed past his conscious on texting while driving. _Traffic. _

When he arrived moments later, he parked his car on the other side of the road and turned off his car, sitting there in the darkness to collect himself. No turning back.

He glanced to his left at the house, watching for any movement. The house was dimly lit inside, the only bright light coming from one single glass covered bulb next to the front door.

**Are you going to stay out there all night or what? **

Little creepy how he did that. Thankfully he went home to shower and brush his teeth first. But maybe they should just talk tonight but who knew if Mason would keep his hands to himself.

He drew in a deep breath and climbed out, closing and locking it behind him. He was sure no one would even try to steal his old 2001beige truck where only two people could fit in the front.

He shoved his hands into his pocket, one of them wrapping around his cellphone. As he walked down the driveway, he saw a brand new looking black Ford Bronco. He eyed it with interest for a moment before he turned away as he approached the front door. Before he could knock, Mason's voice came from inside the house, telling him to come in.

He took in a final deep breath and let it out slowly before he turned the knob and stepped inside. Immediately, warm air wrapped around him, along with the smell of burgers and fries. He saw Mason was sitting on the couch, a burger in one hand as he chewed as he watched T.V. Mason looked at him and held up a finger. He nodded and closed the door behind him. He looked around curiously.

"Come in. I only bite if you ask." The werewolf said, winking at him. Matt cursed internally at how someone could look so hot while eating.

He flushed and cleared his throat. "Do you always eat dinner this late?"

"Full moon tonight." He simply answered.

His mouth dropped in a 'o' of surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

He popped a fry into his mouth. "Don't be. And yeah I'm fine. I just need to eat and sleep. Are you hungry?"

He waved it off. "No, thanks. I ate before I came."

"I have another two anyway."

His eyes widened. "You're planning to eat three?"

"With what will come tonight, I need it."

"Is Tyler alright?" he asked, instinctively reaching into his pocket for his cellphone.

"Fine." He paused, eyeing him. "But if you don't believe me…"

"I do. It's just that Tyler didn't mention that you guys change during the full moon and I guess the topic slipped from my mind."

Mason patted the cushion next to him, inviting him over. He hesitated.

"I'll keep my hands to myself." He promised, making a teasing 'x' over his heart.

He walked over, sitting down next to the werewolf but keep a good personal distance between them. He watched television in silence until the brunette finished a while later.

Mason turned to him. "Glad you came."

He nodded, giving him a shy smile.

"Why did you come?" Mason asked, finishing his soda.

He held the man's eye. "I think you know."

Mason's eyes slid down to his lips, making him shiver excitedly. "Can I use your restroom, please?"

"Down the end of the hall to your left."

He found the restroom and closed the door, staring at his reflection in the mirror while leaning his upper body against the sink. His pants felt a little too tight now against his lower body. He turned on the water and splashed his face with cold water, drying off with the hand towel on the hanger. Suddenly something popped into his mind, making him bite the inside of his lip nervously. _What if he thinks I'm bad at it? Or at kissing? Or both? _

He sighed and walked out of the bathroom, pausing when he saw Mason in the hallway, staring at him. "Tour?"

He stared at him for a moment before nodding, giving him a small smile. "Sure."

The house in general was bigger with more expensive looking items and furniture than his house will probably ever have in its lifetime. Or Vicky and his anyway. He noticed Mason had passed a particular room, smoothly avoiding it like if he had done it plenty of times but he managed to catch a quick glimpse of what it looked like a bed and a tall cabinet where, he remembered, he would place his own underwear back at home. He realized Mason didn't want him to see his bedroom. Why? He didn't know but something told him, Mason didn't want a risk of scaring him away.

They then stepped into the final room—not remembering how many the older man had _in_ his house alone after Mason had shown him he even had his own tool shed in the backyard.

"And this is my office." Mason said.

Matt stepped inside and looked around, curious. The walls were plain beige like the rest of the house. On the far back in the corner sat a black colored desk in the shape of a half cut hexagon, a black laptop on top along with a wooden colored pencil holder and a black lamp on the other side. As he got closer to the desk, he touched the smooth black leather, eyeing a couple of books that were held by a shelf on each side under the desk.

"Something tells me you don't like black." He heard himself teasing.

Mason came behind him. "I know it looks a little gloomy but I thought it wasn't like many people were going to come visit me anyway. Even as kids, Richard always had the spotlight when it came to having friends over."

He glanced at him and couldn't help but ask, "Richard has friends?"

He chuckled. "Surprise, surprise."

"You didn't?" he asked, eyeing the black metal cabinet in the other corner.

"I did but I guess I've always wanted to get away and travel even before…when I was human."

He felt himself melting at the tint of sadness in his voice. He glanced back at him and turned to fully face him. Mason stared at his laptop, his expression telling him he was far away.

Matt imagined being a werewolf could be rough. He was part of the supernatural. Changing on the full moon meant you had to keep yourself hidden from others… to stay away from your family and your hometown to hide something you didn't even want to be part of because if someone found out, they would think you were dangerous and needed to be killed off. Others would not understand and having anyone to trust with his secret, he's left on his own to live day to day until the day he finds something or someone worth living for.

_His mate._ Mason must have realized the change in the air. He turned to him. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely. Mason's eyes widened at his words. Then he turned almost embarrassed and covered it by shrugging. "It's not as bad anymore."

"Why?"

"You're here because…you accept me, aren't you? I doubt you're here because you just came to experience my cooking skills."

He smirked. "It wasn't that bad."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? If I remember correctly, you practically worshipped me for it."

He shoved him firmly, chuckling. "Then you remember wrong." He lowered his gaze shyly, shoving his hands into his pocket, his fingers brushing over his phone. "I did come to accept you." He could have added "cause I had no other choice" but why ruin the mood? And he had a feeling he could really end up falling in love like he had told Tyler.

He glanced up when Mason closed the distance between them. The brunette's eyes slid down to his lips, making his dick tingle. A deep hunger began to rise within him, making the room suddenly appear degrees warmer as every part of his body screamed for werewolf, his mate, to touch him.

"Please." he whispered.

Mason leaned down and kissed him, not needing more convincing.

He moaned at the first contact, immediately wrapping his arms around Mason's neck.

* * *

><p>Mason pulled Matt towards him, his hormones going into frenzy the instant he touched his lips with his mate's. He pushed Matt against the wall, feeling the boy's jean clad hard on against his own. He pushed his mate's middle up against him until he wrapped his legs around his waist. He pulled away to unbutton Matt's jeans and pull them down and over his ass and to mid-thigh to expose his erection to his eyes.<p>

"Just fuck me!" Matt begged impatiently.

He smirked, leaning down to kiss him. "I don't want to hurt you. It's already hard enough to keep the wolf away with you like this."

And it was. He could feel his wolf snarling at him to let it take control of his body and mate with him like he should. Not planning to worsen things, he wanted to wait for that until the next new moon so he could make things at least a little better for both of them.

"You didn't think about that last time, why do it now?"

"You're a bossy little bottom." He observed. He reached up and brought three fingers up to Matt's lips. "Put as much as you can."

His mate flushed at this, knowing what he was talking about. His trembling lips opened and took the fingers into his mouth, growling at the feeling of Matt's warm and wet mouth.

After a moment, he pulled them away. Matt stared up at him, nervous about what was going to happen next. "I've never done this before with a guy. Not even Jeremy."

He admitted he was a slightly surprised about this, the other satisfied to have the boy a complete virgin to male to male contact. He wasn't going to say this, so instead he replied, "That's fine."

"You've done this before?"

"Once at a bar when I was human and we were both drunk. He was the one who fucked me though but I'm just going by what I remember right now."

A flash of jealousy went through the blonde's eyes.

He reached out and touched his cheek gently. "No one matters anymore. I might as well be a virgin again."

This made his mate laugh, warming his chest. "Whatever!"

He reached down under him and touched a finger to the boy's entrance, making his smile waver nervously.

"Relax." He whispered, kissing him.

He slowly pushed his finger in, pausing when he heard his mate wince. After a brief silence, Matt told him to keep going. He did, continuing to slowly ease his digit into the boy. He stopped again when his finger was fully inside.

"God damn it, quit stopping! I've played football since freshman year so I can handle this!" Matt protested, annoyed. This made him smile.

"Have it your way."

He began to move his finger in and out, making his mate moan in pleasure.

"Fuck…"

"Soon."

He eased in another finger, making the blonde drop his head against the wall, exposing his throat to his eyes.

He immediately attacked it, now more than ever having the urge to let go and puncture the skin to taste the delicious blood that flowed underneath. _Patience. _

After Matt got used to two he added the third. By now, he was stretched good but probably not wide enough to get used to the thickness of his cock right away.

He pulled his fingers out and pulled down his jeans, letting them pool down to his ankles and holding onto Matt with both hands.

When he pushed inside Matt, his muscled immediately clenched onto him.

He panted hard, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down his back. Matt lifted his hips, pulling him in deeper in doing so.

"Hold on!" he said, letting out a deep breath. For a split second, he had almost lost control.

"Your eyes." He heard his mate gasp.

He was surprised he wasn't truly afraid of him at that moment. For all he knew, he could have let his wolf instincts take control and start fucking into him like there was no tomorrow.

He made a move to pull away, not trusting himself. The boy must have felt this and reached out to stop him. "No."

"I can't. I don't want to hurt you…"

He reached out and took his face into his hands. "Mason Lockwood, listen to me! I came all the way out here after having played a fucking football game tonight! If it wasn't for you, I'd be sleeping on the floor right now! Now pull yourself together and _fuck me hard now!_"

At that moment there was no doubt left that told him his wolf has chosen his mate wisely. The last time someone yelled at him was Jules but she knew she was stronger than him by a landslide.

And without another thought, he began to pound Matt into the wall behind him. There were no words to describe the situation. The closest would come to be: mind blowing.

Their cries of pleasure and the wet slapping of his balls against the boy's ass echoed throughout the room and probably the whole house but he couldn't give two shits if one of his neighbors would come to overhear.

"Harder!"

He dived down and kissed Matt deeply who reached out and tangles his fingers into his curly hair, tugging him closer.

Moments later, Matt cried out, going limp into his arms. He came a few thrust later, howling out as he spilled his hot seed into his mate.

He slumped against him but careful not to squish the boy with his weight. Matt panted on his shoulder, wrapping his arms around his waist and pressing the side of his face against his heart. They stayed that way for a while.

Then he pulled out, making Matt groan at the loss.

"Don't worry, we're not done." He said, smirking lazily.

He nodded to the desktop. "Go bend over."

Matt almost pouted childishly as he lightly touched his now limp cock. "When do I get a turn?"

"Not today." He said shakily as his dick jumped to attention when Matt ran his thumb over the tip.

He sighed but did as he was told. He supported his upper half against the edge of the table so his ass was stretched out, inviting.

It was easier this time to slide inside this time. Matt moaned when he felt himself get invaded again. "God, how big are you?"

"Ten and a fraction."

"Well shit and I thought Tyler was big."

He smacked his ass playfully, growling. "No thinking about others."

"No need to tell me twice, cowboy."

He smirked at his new nickname as he began his second round. By the time it ended, moments later, he pulled out just as Matt sank to his knees. He caught him before he hit the floor.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

The blonde chuckled, his eyes droopy. "I can't walk anymore. You sucked the remaining life I had today."

"Did you plan on staying tonight?"

"Mmmhmm."

He snorted at his type of reply and carried him bride style to his bedroom, laying him down on the mattress and taking off his clothes.

"Move over."

"Fuck you." he mumbled.

He chuckled at this and watched as his mate gave him some room to climb into bed with him and covering them up.

"What time is it?"

He glanced over at the nightstand to read the alarm clock. Past seven pm.

"Still early."

Matt slapped him weakly on his stomach. "It's going to be your fault if I fall asleep in class tomorrow."

"Fine with me."

"Asshole."

"What? Does it hurt?"

Another slap. "Jerk."

"Not tonight." Mason got a bit serious. "You know this night is not a good night to be around me." He stroked through Matt's hair ´.

A harder slap. He chuckled.

"Pervert." He mumbled, hearing the smile in his voice.

"Me? If I remember correctly, you were begging me to go down on your ass."

"Then you remember wrong."

"Cupcake."

"You did not just call me that, cuddle bunny."

"And what if I did, handsome baby boo?"

"Hot mama."

"Pumpkin butt."

"Love muffin."

"Peaches n' cream."

"Marshmallow man."

"Marshmallow man?"

"That's right, you just got owned."

He tried not to laugh. "Whatever, pretty princess."

He felt Matt press against him. "Goodnight, cheesy quesadilla."

"Goodnight, sugar cookie."

He felt Matt smile against him. "We're so lame but I like it."

He felt a twitch of a smile on his lips. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

><p>Note: Review please? :33 And please don't start bickering about "how could just leave jyler like that?". They're back together for real now so take a chill pill cause and, yes, I know it's now 38 chapters lol!<p> 


	39. Tonight

First Time for Everything

Chapter 39

Note: HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! :D May all your wishes and resolutions come true!

My resolution: talk more, make more friends, get a boyfriend, have better writing, new plot ideas, get my bachelor's degree…and live to see jyler happen (good luck on that one, right? Lol).

* * *

><p>Jeremy's eyes fluttered open but his lids were still heavy as hell and he had a headache. His sore eyes took in a bit of the interior as he absentmindedly scanned the room before his eyes fluttered closed, ready to get some more sleep.<p>

His eyes snapped open; he got up and stared to his left. He saw Tyler lying on the floor, wrapped in a blanket with his back to Jeremy. Jeremy would recognize that back anywhere and he was about to yell at the older boy to wake up and demand what he was doing in his bed when he noticed he wasn't in his own room. Or in Jenna's house for that matter.

_Oh, crap. _The slight throbbing in his temples proved him right as the memories came back to him like running into a cement wall. The bottle of jack, the fight with Katherine, the drive to the Lockwood mansion, and following Tyler and his uncle to their secret full moon hide out, only to wait outside in the cold until he had fallen asleep. The rest was a bit blurry but his mind managed to recall Tyler waking him up, carrying him back to his room where he had thrown himself at the older boy and then a shower. After that everything was blank.

His heart picked up at this and gripped the sheets under him tightly, now stepping forward onto the bridge of having a panic attack as he stared at Tyler's back—which, he admitted silently, was a good view. What now? He didn't know. His heart started beating faster and he silently prayed that the werewolf couldn't hear it. If he tried to run out of there as fast as he could, seen or not, Tyler would turn furious and go after him, that was for sure.

He flushed –his face becoming red - knowing he had given the werewolf permission to do things to him. _Had they gone further?_ He couldn't remember and lifting the blanket revealed that he still had his boxers on. He didn't feel any soreness in his backside, or his cock and when the smut stories he had read were right he could be sore in the mouth if he had sucked cock but he felt okay. Then again he had no idea whether your cock could be sore and since it was as limp as can be right now he didn't knew whether it had been used. Would it be stiff then he might feel pain but currently nothing. The only pain he felt right now was that throbbing on his temples. It was his fault, he had come here on his own and he remembered that too. He had decided it was time to stop denying and face his fate. At least that was what he thought it had been. The fight between Tyler and his uncle slipped into his mind again, making him bite his lip at the images of the two guys lunging at each other, smashing objects at each other, ready to kill.

The memories made him want to leave. He rose as carefully and silent as he was able to, hoping the werewolf would stay asleep. Once free of the blanket, he managed to get to the corner of the bed.

"Leaving again?" Tyler's unexpected voice said lowly behind him. For a second, he thought the older boy was angry then he realized he was probably trying not to raise his voice to raise suspicions from his parents.

His throat felt dry, making it uncomfortable to swallow and find his voice. "Give me a minute."

Tyler said nothing or make a move to touch him, not that Jeremy would know since he didn't turn around to find out. He needed a moment to decide what to say next. _I'm still close to panic around you but thanks for not raping me. _

"Get down." He heard Tyler whisper firmly to him. He frowned in confusion and turned around – regretting that move the same moment he got a look at the werewolf. Tyler was now turned to him, showing his broad chest, thick brows, light brown nipples and slightly messed up hair. Jeremy's cock sprang to life and since it was not painful in any way he guessed he had his answer in that regard. He silently thanked that Tyler's lower half was still covered, because God knew Jeremy would run right over would he see Tyler's ass. As Tyler's eyes lowered a bit but still fixed on Jeremy and full of heat, he became aware that his boner was fully visible against his boxers. He was about to turn around or shout at Tyler – he wasn't quite sure what to do first - when he heard a soft knock at the door. _Oh. _He quickly but quietly got off the bed and hid on the other side of the room, just in case the person decided to come in.

"Tyler honey, aren't you going to school today?" a feminine voice asked.

"No, I don't feel good today." He silently got up.

"What's wrong?"

"I guess I ate something bad at school." He began to walk over to him; again making no sound at all, then again Jeremy's heart was so loud he could barely hear his own thoughts. That and his mind was currently occupied with noticing that Tyler's boxers were not only of the same sort as Jeremy's – thick horizontal stripes of white and blue with a dark-blue waistband – but also the massive bulge in them.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"I got it, mom, thanks." He was now standing directly in front of him with a heated gaze on Jeremy, staring him directly in the eyes and Jeremy felt his fear ebbing.

"If you say so. Mrs. Doreen asked me to come visit her yesterday so I'll be over at her house. Call me if you need anything. By the way, when did you get back last night? I didn't hear you come in."

"You must have been asleep." His face was so close to Jeremy's now he could feel his breath.

There was a pause, and doubt in her voice. "Alright. Diana is here, so try not to sleep too long she needs to clean your room too."

"Fine, I'll see you later, mom." He leaned in and steadied himself against the wall, his gaze still on Jeremy's and his free hand touched the bulge in Jeremy's boxers. Jeremy's eyes got round.

"Love you."

For a short moment he could see Tyler flush and look in the direction of the door. "Love you too."

The footsteps then faded down the hall and Tyler's gaze was back on him. Jeremy felt that his fear had melted away completely, replaced by pure lust as Tyler gently started to massage his still covered cock.

"May I?" Tyler asked.

Jeremy had no idea what he was asking for but his lust-fogged mind didn't care one bit and he simply nodded.

Tyler smiled, a smile that made Jeremy want to lick that face, and slowly led his hand slide inside Jeremy's boxers. Jeremy had to consciously stop himself from crying out when Tyler wrapped his hand around his dick. Jeremy could feel his cock leaking precome already. This was his first ever hand-job and damn it was hot as hell. Tyler started stroking, slow and easy at first, then faster and Jeremy felt his hips pushing forward, fucking that hand. He had to bite his lower lip to keep himself from making all sorts of noises and he was getting close, this would be the shortest hand-job in history. His movements were erratic, his heart had sped up and he was barely able to keep his moans in. Finally, he pulled back. His eyes locked to Tyler's. His back arched against the wall and a guttural groan ripped from his chest as he came.

Tyler let go of Jeremy's cock but didn't move. His arm still steadying him he had his eyes closed and was taking in deep breaths. Contrary to his seemingly calm exterior Jeremy could hear is heart beating and his cock was still clearly visible in his boxers. Jeremy's brain had a short-circuit and he pushed Tyler forward. The boy seemed so stunned he didn't react at all, not even when he was falling backwards on the bed. Jeremy was beside him so fast he himself barely registered it until his hand was around Tyler's cock. The cock throbbed inside his hand and was leaking as well. Tyler's eyes were round and locked upon Jeremy's face. As Jeremy started to pump Tyler didn't seem to care to shut his mouth and started to moan loud right from the start. Knowing that the whole house might hear them, and to get more than just a hand-job, Jeremy captured Tyler's mouth with his, muffling the moans as good as he could and at the same time enjoying the new heat surging through him, making his still free cock hard once more. Tyler moaned into the kiss at every stroke of Jeremy's hand, letting Jeremy have full control of the kiss, barely moving at all except for one hand squeezing one of Jeremy's buttocks. Jeremy had to concentrate to restrict himself to only jerking Tyler off, right now he wanted to suck those nipples, lick along the abs and give that hot ass a few lovebites. Tyler's moans were the most beautiful sound Jeremy had heard so far and knowing that he was the cause of the other boy's pleasure was a huge turn on. With short moans Tyler came and came, his hand squeezing Jeremy's ass so hard it was almost bruising and his chest arched.

When he came down again their lips were still sealed.

* * *

><p>Steven was watching the video of Gilbert grinding against Lockwood in the old Lockwood's office. He didn't know what was the bigger turn on; the scene or the knowledge of having such a powerful weapon in his hands.<p>

"Faster," he ordered Forbes. He had commanded the blond to suck him off. He had been horny and she had been the next best thing there was since Daniel was nowhere to be found on short notice. And he had compelled her to forget anything afterwards anyway.

* * *

><p>Tyler noticed Jeremy's gaze on his body, starting on his face and giving him a slow once over. He smirked at this, causing his mate to quickly glance away and scratch the back of his head in awkwardness.<p>

The awkward moment after the fist sex it was. Except that it wasn't technically their first time sex, was it? They hadn't fucked so it didn't count. Then again Jeremy had grinded against him pretty heavily already and had made both of them come, so maybe that had been their first time. Damn as if Tyler knew, sometimes he felt like he didn't know up from down anymore. In any case this felt as the 'after the first time'. None of them seemed to know what to say or do; only glancing slightly at each other.

"Oh shit!" he gasped as he became self-conscious all of a sudden, taking the white sheets and pulling it off the bed to cover himself. He had to smirk as his mate's face heated up like no tomorrow and turned away.

"Could you put something on?" Jeremy asked.

"Could you say it any louder!" he hissed, giving the door a nervous glance, before getting off the bed and pulled his boxers back up under the sheet. What devil had ridden him to jerk Gilbert off right here and now? "It wasn't like you hadn't seen it before." He muttered.

"Yeah about two minutes ago," Jeremy responded without looking at him.

He stood staring at Jeremy's back, eyeing the body appreciatively. The back really already sprouted a satisfying V, and he spotted some fine hairs right below the waistband of the boxers. He was too occupied to notice during sex but Tyler was sure that Jeremy had fine hairs on his butt. Right now he wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing. But he was really eager to have that particular part of Jeremy's body sliding up and down his hard length.

"Did we…?" the boy trailed off, glancing over the shoulder in his direction this time. "Before just now, I mean."

"Have sex last night?" he paused, snorting. "I wish, but no… are you relieved?"

When he asked this, his fists clenched at his sides, half expecting for Jeremy to confirm that he was. When he didn't answer after a moment, he narrowed his eyes, suddenly feeling anger rising in the pit of his stomach. This whole 'fear of him' thing was starting to wear on his nerves. Then he heard it.

"No." Jeremy whispered.

His eyes widened, his lips twitching into a small smile. Jeremy then turned to look at him fully, studying him as he kept a good grip on the sheets below him.

"But still…."

"You don't trust me and last night didn't count 'cause you were drunk."

Jeremy gave him a dirty look. "Don't put words in my mouth. I…." He shut his mouth did as if to stop himself from saying more.

"It is because of what I did after last time." Tyler didn't even bother to let it sound like a question. Why question the obvious and saying it made him sound stupid he added as an afterthought.

"Stating the obvious doesn't make you sound smart." Tyler raised a brow at Jeremy's choice of words. He tried to answer but Jeremy was quicker. "Have you seen my clothes?"

"They're in the bathroom but they're dirty. I'll let the maid put them into the cleaner; I'll let you borrow something."

He went over and grabbed a pair of jeans, t-shirt, and socks for both of them.

"I don't think your shoes are as bad." He said, going inside the bathroom and bringing out Jeremy's shoes, putting everything in the middle of the bed on his side so he would see he wasn't going to do anything to him.

Jeremy grabbed the clothes and went into the bathroom to change, making him sigh as he changed as well. When Jeremy came out of the bathroom wearing his clothes, he thought it was hot.

"So you're going to give us a chance?" he asked.

He watched as his mate tried to fix his tousled by combing it with his fingers.

Jeremy didn't look too happy. "Have you seen my ring?"

He had to smirk at that. "You mean the one I gave you?"

He flushed, attempting to give him an intimidating glare.

He chuckled and reached for his nightstand, throwing the ring carefully over to him before putting on his own.

"I like the one you picked for me," he commented.

Jeremy's eyes slid down to his hand as he gently traced the patterns with his index finger but didn't reply.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, taking each other in, and trying not to notice the sexual tension in the room. At least probably Jeremy was.

"I should go home. I can't call because my phone isn't working."

"What happened to it?"

He looked out the window, scanning the scene. "Not everybody has money to spend."

That went straight to his chest and Tyler felt his anger rise again. Except this time he knew better. "Why did you come to town?"

Jeremy didn't look at him. "Like I said, not everybody has money to spend and a big mansion to live in."

He was embarrassed by the words. He'd been told many times by other people at school how they wished they could have his life, how lucky he was to live in such a huge mansion and do almost everything he wanted. _What a fucking joke. _

"I'll buy you a new phone and pay it monthly."

This finally caused Jeremy to look at him, his mouth dropping open. "What?" His face became read. "Look, I barely know you," he started with an agitated voice, "and we both know we are only here because we are stuck with each other, so you can take your gifts and …" A loud growl came from Jeremy's stomach, causing the boy to let his shoulders sink in defeat and roll his eyes. His face had a typical 'you gotta be kidding me' expression and any pathos of the moment was pretty much ruined.

Tyler smirked. "Hungry?"

Jeremy scoffed, flushing. "Not for you."

"It's only us and the maid right now."

Jeremy hesitated for a moment but finally gave in when his stomach growled again. "Just lead me to the kitchen."

* * *

><p>He followed Tyler out the door, having a sense of déjà vu as he walked through the still work in progress hallway, making him shiver as he saw the plastic sheets and scattered paint buckets. Thankfully, the older boy didn't notice it but damn he just had to notice how Tyler's jeans stretched about his buttocks didn't he? What was wrong with him? One moment he was scared to death the other he was willing to rip the clothes from Tyler's body and screw him until the end of the week. He hadn't felt this particularly horny since his early teens. As they began to go down the stairs, he saw a woman in around her mid-twenties come out from one of the rooms, carrying a pretty heavy looking laundry basket. She wore a sky blue and white lace uniform with white stockings and a pair of flat, black shoes, her hair neatly done in a neat bun. She paused when she saw them.<p>

"Good morning, sirs." She greeted, shyly.

"Good morning." Tyler and he both greeted in union, albeit Jeremy with less monotony in his voice.

They continued down the stairs but he couldn't help but glance back, feeling bad for her.

"There's only one maid?" he asked when they reached the kitchen. And damn, was it probably three times as big as Jenna's.

"Yeah, why?" Tyler's voice sounded totally indifferent.

He watched as Tyler pulled out two medium sized frying pans. "Just…wondering." Judging by what he knew, Jeremy thought it best not to raise the werewolf's temper.

He placed the pans on the stove and looked at him. "If you're worried about the amount of work, don't. She came here on her own terms to work. We're not forcing her to do anything."

_As if she would dare. You could have asked her about the situation. _He nodded but thought it wise not to press more on the subject. "Need any help?"

"Sure. Can you pass the eggs, sausage, and ham?"

"We're going to eat all of that?"

"We're still growing boys, aren't we?"

Despite his fears Jeremy could feel his lips twitching in an amused smile as he went over and grabbed the items, bringing them over carefully on the counter next to Tyler.

"Toaster?" he asked.

"Think it's in the one below you."

When he saw it was, he pulled it out and found a light socket to plug it in and went to go get the bread.

Awhile later, they were both eating silently at the kitchen table. He practically inhaled his food right off the plate and licking his fingers afterwards.

"When was the last time you ate?" Tyler asked, eyeing his now almost empty plate with both brows raised.

"Lunch, yesterday."

"No wonder."

"Well you're not exactly eating a bird either."

"I have a different reason for that."

"Which is?" He said, sipping at his orange juice, but Tyler didn't answer.

They finished the rest in silence again until Tyler asked him if he was done. He nodded and watched as the werewolf grabbed their dishes and took them to the sink. When he turned, he looked hesitant about something.

"What?" Jeremy asked.

He decided to drop it. "Never mind, I'll take you home."

"Tell me." he insisted, curious. If he had to spend the rest of his live with this one, he might as well get it all out in the open.

He paused, glancing behind him before he sat down again. "Sorry if I'm trying to sound manipulative but…"

He supported his chin on his palm, waiting.

"After the game last night, Matt told me he was going to Mason's house."

He drew in a deep. "You mean he accepted Mason?"

"Yeah."

He licked his lips. "And do you think they…?"

"Claimed? Probably not; Mason's stricter when it comes on how to do things. But then I could be wrong, figuring his little oops on the first time."

He nodded, twirling his thumbs together. "Matt's stronger than I am. He's never told me but…I could tell he's had sex before. I've never even kissed anyone before I got together with Matt. He knows things better than I do."

"First, Matt was a virgin." At Jeremy's suspicious look he added calmly. "He is my best friend remember? And just because he took it all a bit quicker than you, doesn't make him stronger. "

"A bit quicker?"

Tyler groaned. "Ok, high speed then, but you came to me last night too."

"Drunk."

"But you're still here right now, aren't you?"

He stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Yeah."

Tyler sighed and leaned onto the table, hands folded in front of him. "What can I do to make you trust me?"

Jeremy sighed, that question had to come up. "Give me time ok."

There was something going on in Tyler's brain that was for sure, Jeremy simply had no idea what. "I don't trust my feelings around you," Tyler stated. "Not even three months back I was screwing girls randomly and now I fantasize of screwing you and let myself get laid by you. And this morning I let you jump me, not for the first time I might add"

"I didn't jump you." Jeremy sounded angry.

"Oh, yeah, smartass, then how else would you call what you did to me in my father's office and up there this very morning," he replied while pointing at the roof with his thumb.

"You came to me and jerked me off."

"And then you threw me on the bed, got into my pants, kissed me like mad and jerked me off. And just for the record I don't do that stuff when my mother left only minutes ago. And I never got thrown on the bed by anybody and certainly didn't let them hump me on my father's couch."

Jeremy couldn't deny that. The first time he thought it was the alcohol but he couldn't blame any drink this time. He lowered his gaze, ashamed of his actions. Why was he even ashamed? "Sorry, I didn't know what drove me."

"Maybe it's mating season?" Tyler offered.

He swallowed, shrugging. "Maybe."

Jeremy felt his cock coming to life again. Damn why was he so horny all of a sudden. Based on Tyler's look he was horny as well.

* * *

><p>Maybe the mating season comment wasn't the best idea after all. Tyler found himself unwillingly fantasizing about Jeremy again. He actually thought about whether Diana would hear it if he screwed Jeremy right here in the kitchen. He was about to reply when a loud, angry-sounding knock came from the door.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Uh no. <em>Tyler's expression told Jeremy that his fear was correct. Tyler motioned for him to wait as he stood up and went to answer the door. "I got it, Diana!"

He got off the chair and peeked out from behind the side of the wall. Tyler unlocked the door and opened it.

"Good morning, Tyler. I know Jeremy's here so no need to hide him!" Jenna said, her face unhappy.

"Good morning, Miss Gilbert. Jeremy's here, we just finished eating." Tyler said with lowered eyes.

"I'm not angry at you, Tyler. On the other hand, having my nephew leaving like that drunk on a school night is not something I should tolerate! Jeremy get over here!" she yelled.

He sighed and prayed he wouldn't get grounded. He stepped out from behind the wall and went over to the door where Jenna placed her hands on her hips, her face stern.

She gave Tyler a glance. "I'm in the loop about what is going on between you to, which I have no problem with for that matter. But you, Jeremy, should not have pulled that little stunt you did last night! And you didn't even bother to show up at school today."

_Wow, completely forgot about that. _"It won't happen again, I promise."

She looked at him with a motionless face for a moment before she nodded. "It sure won't or else…"

"Please don't tell mom about it. I promise it won't happen again."

Jenna stood there, glancing between Tyler and him, thinking. "Fine, but I do want you to come home today. And you are grounded for two weeks, starting tomorrow and I won't hear any negotiations from anyone. Understood?"

"Understood."

Jenna sighed, running a hand through her hair. "You two have this day to sort things out as best possible and then Tyler is not allowed to put even a foot through my door. Is that clear?"

He looked at Tyler for this one who just shrugged, telling him whatever he decided he would be okay with it. "I'll be home later, Aunt Jenna."

She nodded possibly having expected this. "I hope so."

With that, she said her goodbye to Tyler before turning away and heading down the stairs to her car in the driveway. He watched her until she got into her car and drove out. He nodded for Tyler to close the door as he stuck his hands into the pocket of his jeans.

"Why did you decide to stay?" Tyler asked, standing not even a foot away from him.

Instead of giving him an answer, Jeremy threw himself at Tyler, embraced him and started to suck at his neck. Tyler moaned and panted but made no effort to make him stop. So it was Jeremy who forced an end. "Because I am crazy," He whispered into Tyler's ear before giving it a final lick.

Tyler panted heavily, his tanned facial skin darker than before. "I'm going to get the cellphone real quick. We should see how Matt's doing." He nearly stuttered and Jeremy thought that cute.

"Wouldn't he be in school?" The whole situation was crazy anyway so way act like normal people right now?

Tyler didn't look at him, still blushing. "Doubt it."

* * *

><p>Matt stretched out his hand blindly to search for Mason. When he felt nothing but sheets, he opened his eyes and stared at the empty spot where Mason would—<em>should<em>—be. He rolled onto his back and sat up, wincing as he felt the familiar soreness in his lower body and looked around the room to check for the older man. When he didn't spot him, he called out to him.

"Mason?"

Seconds passed and nothing. He listened hard for any sort of noise but found nothing again. He frowned. _Where the hell is he? _He got up and placed on his boxers before going to check out the kitchen and living room. No Mason. Unless…

_That asshole! _He went to check the time on his cellphone that was now on the nightstand. 11:43 am. He was late for school.

He growled angrily. As revenge, he showered and cooked himself breakfast. While he ate, he noticed his sister had called him four times before school. He dismissed her calls as he sent Mason his first love message of the day.

**Thnkz 4 waking me up 4 school, dick. **

_I tried when I got up to get ready for work. _

**No u didn't, liar.**

_Swear to god. _

Matt remembered feelings hands on him, shaking him, but he only pulled the covers over himself, mumbling for the person to go away_. _

**Okay, it came back to me now. **

_And for calling me a liar, you don't get a turn tonight either. _

**Fuck u. **

_I'll see you at the Grill when I get out. We'll talk about it ;)_

**Scratch the message before. Fuck u with something hard and sandpapery. **

_Love you too. _

His mouth dropped open slightly as he stared at those words. They hadn't mentioned anything about love last night even though they were going to be together for the rest of their lives. He didn't know how to answer that, so he just pressed the 'end' button and sent a message to his sister, telling him he was at Mason's house but he was alright and would see her later. He sighed and placed his phone back into his pocket as he made his last evidence of revenge by leaving him dirty dishes. He paused when he saw a yellow sticky note on the counter. He had noticed it when he came into the kitchen to fix himself breakfast but didn't think twice about it. Curiously, he went over and grabbed the sticky note. He saw a simple silver key under the piece of paper. When he then read the note, he flushed, realizing the key was for him.

For my pretty princess.

_Oh god. _He couldn't help but smirk and roll his eyes at the nickname, remembering the goofy moment they had shared last night.

Thanks, cheesy quesadilla, he wrote back, adding a little heart next to it. As he left the house and climbed into his car, his cellphone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and was surprised to see it was Tyler. He answered and pressed the phone to his ear.

"What's up?"

"So on a scale from one to ten…?" his best friend asked, the smirk obvious in his tone. He didn't need to ask what he was talking about. He rolled his eyes.

"Seven, maybe eight. It's not as bad as the first time. That was definitely a nine…and a half."

He heard the other boy laugh as he closed the door and managed to get his seat belt on with one hand.

"Shut up. I'm sure Jeremy probably can't get out of bed right now."

There was no answer on the other end.

"You still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here." he said, sounding as if he was in a daze. He was about to ask what was wrong when he it hit him. They did not have sex yet either.

"Jeremy chickened out?"

"It was my idea not to have sex last night. Jeremy was drunk."

He then heard Jeremy comment something angrily.

He snorted. "Well at least you guys did something together."

Nothing.

"Fine, we'll continue about it later. Are you at school?"

"No. You?"

"Nope. I'm planning to go to football practice later though so coach won't have my ass on Monday."

"Yeah, don't forget it belongs to Mason. I'll be there too."

He almost laughed at that. "I give you the middle finger again."

"Whatever, I'll see you at practice."

"Alright, bye."

* * *

><p>Jeremy stared at Tyler, wondering if he was lying or not as he ended the call with Matt.<p>

"He's fine." Tyler said.

He nodded but said nothing else. He had his doubts about that, mostly because Matt had not seen what Mason was capable, what Tyler was capable. He had only known them for their human faces, he had not seen their furred bodies, tugging and the chains, snapping at their target, frenzied and trying to break free with all their might. Basically, unlike Jeremy, he had no reason to fear them apart from what he was told and from his point of view that could have all been made up anyway. Tyler must have seen something in his expression because he then shrugged, confused. "Wanna say something to me?"

He shifted on the couch, crossing his arms. "Is it true? Were you the one that decided not to have sex?"

Tyler sighed, nodding. "You wanted to. Badly. The…shower was my idea but I didn't want to take it further, knowing you weren't thinking too straight."

"But you decided the handjob this morning was ok?"

The older boy seemed momentarily shocked by his bluntness before he rolled his eyes. "Are you always going to make me seem like a bad guy? I already told you I don't trust myself around you. Damn it I didn't plan that. I was just too turned on to think straight."

Jeremy didn't respond immediately. "I'm just trying to figure this out."

"Figure this out? If you think of me as an aggressive, heartless asshole, I'm not. There is more to me than that ok? I prefer not to talk about them, being a guy and…just not used to it. Believe it or not I like art."

Jeremy's brow rose. "I saw your drawings remember? I already guessed that."

"But barely anybody knows about it, apart from you and Matt. Because my dad thinks art is for girls and simply just a waste of time. I stopped drawing altogether when my dad caught me drawing one night. He got angry and started calling me an embarrassment to the family before he took my sketch book away from me. So I stopped."

That was pretty much useless to Jeremy, bad father or not was no excuse to act like a jackass in his eyes. He decided for a different path. "If you were given the chance to draw again publicly, would you?"

Tyler paused before he answered. "I suppose so but it wasn't like I was going to major in art. I'm going to politics like my father wants."

"What about what you want?"

Tyler shook his head. "I don't see myself going into anything else. Anyway, what I have in my account isn't enough to get my through on my own. Trust me, if I could break away, I could."

"You still have you senior year to think about it. Plus you don't have to go into college right away…"

"My dad already decided my different options for college. I remember one of them is in Florida. What city do you live in?"

"Spring Hill. It's a little bit bigger than this town."

"I don't remember where it was exactly but it can't be so far that I wouldn't be able to see you on the weekends. But we're getting far into the future. We'll see how things work out."

He nodded, a lump of worry for both of them in his gut. He didn't want to go back to the symptoms he had before. The last thing his mother needed was another burden to worry about. He hoped the next time he talked to her; she'd be able to tell him she had found the job they needed. But then there was Tyler again…

He shook the depressing thoughts away and licked his lips, sighing. "While talking about art, you reminded me about the art thing going on tonight."

"Did you display something of yours?"

"An old drawing. My teacher kept insisting on me to do it."

"Ah, a drawing of mine is in there to. I told me teacher to keep it so he can show it every year."

"What is it about?" he asked, interested.

"One of my cartoon drawings. A goblin."

"Sounds cool."

He smirked. "Thanks."

* * *

><p>Diana didn't know she had been listening from the mayor's son's room. When the lady had come to complain earlier, she had heard everything, especially about the something that was going on between the two boys. She wasn't stupid. She hadn't heard Mr. Lockwood's friend come in through the front door like any person should. Something else was definitely going on…<p>

She smiled to herself before going back to work. But she kept in mind that her boyfriend was a bisexual, maybe she should finally give into his fantasy of a three-way with another guy. The thought of having him pounded in the ass while he licked her pussy was really … interesting.

* * *

><p>During lunch, Kyle stared down at his phone on the grass next to him as he dug into his turkey sandwich. He didn't know Brent's schedule but he guessed he was in class right now, which was the only thing that kept him from texting the sexy older boy. He decided to wait until after dinner.<p>

_Jeremy would be so much better than me at this. If I was him, Brent would be the one trailing after me like a puppy instead. _

Everything felt like shit as the rest of the day passed like a thorn on his side. He ate his dinner at chocking speed, thanking his mom and excising himself from the table as he walked upstairs to his bedroom, closing the door, and going over to lay onto his stomach on the bed.

_Alright, what does a loser say to a hot guy to sound cool? _His fingers trailed over his keyboard as he scrolled through his contacts until he found Brent.

He let out a deep breath and sent his first message. **Hey. **

A few minutes later, Brent answered. _Kyle?_

**One and only. **

_Beginning to think I'm turning into a boring guy. _

_Never. _He smiled. **Sorry, I follow the 1 day waiting rule ;)**

_Lol nice. You haven't changed ur mind about Tues, have u?_

**No, I'm still up 4 it. So how are we going to do this? **

_I'll pick you up and drop you off after too at 8. Btw, there's a ten dollar entrance fee. Is that okay wit u?_

_Dude, for you, I'd pay forty. _**It's fine. As for the picking me up, I'm going to text you so you can then pass by and pick me up. I'm going to sneak out. **

_Naughty boy. Fine, we'll do it ur way. _

**Just wondering, when did you plan on coming bringing me back?**

_It's a two hour ride from Spring Hill so around 4…maybe 5. _

His eyes widened. It was a risky move going to the party but it was only natural to party for a couple of hours or it wouldn't be any fun. _Plus, I'm pretty sure I'm going to finally lose my virginity. So. Fucking. Excited. _

**Cool. **

_To make it worth ur while, I'm bringing a surprise 4 u. _

**What is it?**

_Wouldn't be a surprise if I told u, would it? Lol I have to get going but we'll talk again later. _

**Ok**.

_A surprise. _He was more interested than ever now. Did it have something to do with sex? What if he didn't plan to have sex with him at all? But it would be a asshole on his part if he didn't. With the teasing closeness back at Macy's, calling him sexy, and inviting him a mysterious party that was far away from town, Brent had to be telling him something. He would go for blow or hand job but…

A knock interrupted his thoughts. "Kyle?"

It was his mom. "Yeah?"

"You better not be playing with your Nintendo. You need to do your homework."

"I was going to start it, I was just texting a friend some missing homework."

"You made a new friend?" she asked surprised.

He glared at the door. "Yes, now I please concentrate on my homework?"

"Sure, I'll be back to check up on you. I expect to see you doing homework this time." She said and walked away.

"Whatever."

He sighed and got off his bed, going over to sit at his desk and open his backpack to search for his English homework. He couldn't wait for Tuesday night.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean Jeremy has accepted Tyler?" Steven demanded angrily at Elijah, the young vampire's fingers clenching into bone white fists at his sides.<p>

Only he could see his older brother's ghost of a smile when he glanced at him. The human, Daniel, was distancing himself from Steven, afraid of his friend's outburst, but also eyeing Klaus with lust.

He ignored Steven's fury and continued, "It's obvious to me since I saw Tyler take his mate to his room. Neither of them even left to go to school this morning, which makes the situation pretty clear in my eyes."

Klaus didn't even giving the human a glance. "What about the uncle and his mate?"

"Mason Lockwood has a mate? Who is it? Why wasn't I informed about another wolf in town?" Steven growled. "I was the one who brought you two here in the first place!"

Elijah ignored the last part. "I found out the name was Matt Donovan. And from what I heard from a conversation between them after the game was that Matt planned to head to Mason's house and accept him as his mate."

Steven's fists unclenched all together and his mouth dropped open slightly in shock.

"Donovan?" Daniel asked, surprised as he was.

He nodded. "Blonde hair and blue eyes. He's in your football team."

Steven rolled his eyes, pacing. "I know all of that! What I don't like is for you two to do things behind my back and not tell me about it! What other stuff do you know?"

"Nothing else. I just told you what I gathered since last night." He lied smoothly.

Steven didn't look convinced for a second as he glared back and forth between the two Originals before swearing under his breath and snapping his fingers for Daniel to follow him in the direction of his bedroom.

"Dude, what a shock, huh? Do you think Matt got fucked by Mason Lockwood…?"

"Shut up, Daniel!" Elijah heard Steven growl.

He then stared at Klaus who let a slow smirk form on his lips.

"This will be fun." The blonde said. He replied nothing. His brother was stubborn; he was still a child in so many ways. Not even a thousand years of living had gotten rid of that.

* * *

><p>Tyler took him home before going to football practice. Before they had left the mansion, he had met Mrs. Lockwood. The woman had been nice to him and happy to see that her son had a new friend who wasn't from the football team. He had to smirk at that. But then he wondered if her opinion of him would change when she knew about what was really going on between him and her son.<p>

When they arrived in front of the house, they stayed silently put in their seats. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tyler slowly turn to look at him. He knew what the werewolf wanted.

He mustered up the courage and reminded himself what he had already done.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck." He said, trying to sound casual.

"Mmhm."

He didn't hear Tyler drive off until he closed the door behind him. He glanced to his right and saw Katherine standing close to the window. He rolled his eyes, realizing she had been spying on them.

"Have you ever heard of privacy, witch?" he mumbled before calling for his aunt.

She reached out for him before he could walk off. "Look, _human_, I apologize for what I said about your boyfriend—or whatever you're calling him in that tiny brain of yours—last night." She lowered her voice. "But I was serious when I told you that you needed to show me…" she suddenly trailed off, letting him go and turning to glance at Jenna.

Their aunt stared between them with a suspicious face. "Am I interrupting something?"

They shook their heads in unison. "No."

She didn't look convinced but didn't press either. "Well I'm glad to see you're back. I was making myself some tea; it's like a second Ice Age outside. Did you want some?"

"Yes, please." he replied, giving Kat one more glance before following his aunt into the kitchen. He was a little surprised his cousin didn't follow behind. He realized why when he glanced back at his cousin as she began to go up the stairs.

He turned away when he entered the kitchen, sitting down and watching Jenna pour hot tea into two mugs. She came over, sat down and faced her chair towards him, giving him the mug.

"Thanks."

She nodded, stirring the liquid carefully to cool it down before taking a small testing sip. She raised her eyes to the ceiling and shook her head.

"Those two can't be away from each other for a single day. Thank God, I don't change her sheets."

He said nothing, thinking about Tyler and wondering if they were going to be the same way. But then again, those two had a choice while he was thrown into the cage with a mentally instable werewolf. When he said nothing, Jenna returned her gaze back on him, her expression curious but also worried.

"Is Tyler the one you were interested in while you were with Matt?"

_Oh, here we go. _He swallowed, continuing to sip on his tea for a moment before he nodded. He noticed that she didn't use the word 'love.'

"Is it mutual?"

_That's the million dollar question here, Aunt Jenna. _"I don't know. I don't even wanna go there right now. I guess last night was our getting together…kind of."

"What do you mean by 'kind of'?"

"It's a guy thing." He simply answered on that. "But right now, we're getting to know each other little by little, I guess. We are not a couple, yet."

She nodded, understanding, worry still evident on her face.

"You don't really like him for me, do you?" he said, amusement about the fact that she might be thinking the same as he in his voice.

Suddenly something dropped hard on the ground upstairs, followed by the sound of Stefan's laughter.

"You guys better be doing something I can walk into!" Jenna warned, giving him a wink.

No reply but Katherine then joined into the laugher. _What the fuck are they doing? _He really didn't want to know.

"Anyway…" he trailed off, motioning for her to return back to his earlier question.

She gave him a half forced smile, shrugging as she took a long swallow of her tea.

"I don't know what you've heard about him at school but I just hope he doesn't end up hurting you in any way. His personality is probably completely opposite from Matt's."

_Too late for that. _"Thanks for worrying about me but I'll be fine and we tend to gravitate towards each other all the time so avoiding doesn't seem an option. Believe it or not, I think he's really trying to change though" he smirked. "I don't let him know that because I don't currently know where I stand with him."

She smiled. "I trust you to know what you're doing. And I still hope you keep your word about not getting drunk again."

He raised his hands. "I wouldn't forget."

"Good. So are you going to see Tyler at school tomorrow?"

He nodded.

"Do I have to make the 'safe sex' speech with you?"

He didn't reply on that and simply felt his face got red. He hadn't really thought about the whole situation from that perspective.

Jenna groaned. She left the kitchen and came back with a sheet of paper, scribbling something on it. She handed it to Jeremy and he saw that it was the YouTube address and a name, a channel he guessed.

"Alright, finish your tea before you go; it's good for you." She didn't comment anymore on that.

He chuckled and nodded wondering what this YouTube channel was about.

* * *

><p>Jenna knew it couldn't possibly be love Jeremy was feeling for Tyler Lockwood. Her nephew was only seventeen and has only yet to begin living his life. <em>Maybe Tyler is putting things into his head. <em>No, Jeremy wasn't the one to be manipulated. He wasn't weak. He pulled through, with some help from Katherine surely, out of the semi-anorexic phase and moved on. Though she hadn't lied when she told him she trusted him to know what she was doing. But she hadn't forgotten what had happened in the past, if Lockwood harmed her nephew, she would do some gay-bashing on her own.

* * *

><p>Matt disinfected an empty booth table before he carried a tray of dirty cups to the kitchen. He paused when he saw Mason going over to sit at the bar, sending him a smirk his way before ordering a drink with the waiter. He rolled his eyes and went over to him.<p>

"Are you ever going to actually try anything that isn't bad for your health?" he teased.

"Oh, and burgers are?"

"It's better than what you're having there." He replied, eyeing the shot of whiskey.

The werewolf took it down quickly, sighing in content, making him shake his head in disbelief.

"I've already tried the food from here before. You saw me eat last night. Anyway I'm sure you drink at your little hang outs."

"Not every time."

Mason simply just smiled before letting his gaze trail over the guests in the room.

"So how's my competition?"

Matt was surprised by the sudden question but felt something stir in his chest at knowing the guy cared in not losing him. "Competition?"

He focused back on him. "Come on, I'm sure the ladies still try to talk to you even though they know about you and Jeremy."

Mason was right in a way with the exception that some of the girls at school have only eye fucked him and give him smiles here and there. In conclusion, the guy didn't really have much to worry about. Though it still felt amusing to have a jealous partner so to not ruin the fun, he simply shrugged.

"So they do?"

He had to hold back a smile at the rising jealousy in Mason's voice.

"Well it's not like I encourage them."

Mason said nothing as his gaze slid over the people again. He heard the door open and the ringing of the bell, indicating new costumers.

"I have to go, showing off my butt," he teased before giving Mason's hand a quick touch before he walked away.

* * *

><p>Mason did trust Matt. As a kid, he'd known him as a caring, loyal friend. He also saw the sincerity in the boy's blue eyes. And just risking to touch him in public on their second day together proved he felt something for him back enough to want this to work. That or he was just as horny as Mason was. He hadn't been this turned on ever since he was a teenager and seeing Matt walk away he was dying to sink between those globes again. He would do things to Matt no girl could ever do.<p>

"Another one, sir?"

He glanced at the waiter who was motioning towards the empty shot cup in his hand. He shook his head before reaching into his wallet and placing down a ten.

"Keep the change." He said and climbed off, heading towards the exit. Matt noticed him leaving and turned to him as he wrote something down, giving him a smile and a nod before he pushed his way out the door. He wanted nothing more than to stay but he needed to check up on his nephew when Tyler had sent him a curtly text message for him to come over so they could talk. He already had a pretty good guess about what it going to be about.

* * *

><p>Tyler lay in bed, unable to sleep. The talk with his uncle had not been a life saver but it had made him feel a little better at the elder werewolf's support and that he had taken the time to come when he needed him. Their conversation had mostly been about Jeremy and how he had given him the chance but would take time to get to actually trust him like a partner should…which eventually comes to the conclusion that the mating wouldn't be happening until then. But at least he was content that Jeremy had been willing to be with him seriously what else should his behavior earlier that day indicate? But Jeremy had a point; they didn't know each other at all. And Tyler was still unsure, seriously what straight guy would just except that he suddenly turned gay. Even for such a gorgeous guy, with soft brown eyes, nice beauty spots an ass to die for…<p>

_Damn!_

He rolled his head to the side to look at the pillow that Jeremy had laid on that morning. He reached out and grabbed it, bringing it over on top of his face and breathing in deeply, finding traces of the boy's intoxicating scent still on it. His cock got rock hard again and he had to restrain himself from either jerking off or running to Jeremy.

_Fuck!_

* * *

><p>"You're ready," Katherine asked.<p>

"Ready and able," Stefan said presenting the glory of his ass to Katherine.

She took a moment to savor that view before generously lubing her dildo.

* * *

><p>After a shower and a good teeth brush, Jeremy went downstairs to get as far away from Katherine and Stefan as possible. Now there was some sort of humming coming from her room.<p>

He had taken his PSP with him and sat down next to Jenna on the couch who was watching TV.

"Are they still up there?" Jenna asked, sounding displeased.

"Yup." _And no idea what they are doing._

She sighed and stood up. Seconds later, her determined footsteps were heard going up the stairs. After that, a loud knocking was heard.

"Not trying to sound rude, Katherine, but doesn't Stefan have anywhere else to be?"

He let out a deep breath through his nose and shook his head, happy in times like these that this wasn't his house. He went back to his game, ignoring the commotion going on upstairs.

He heard footsteps going down the steps a few minutes later. "I'm very sorry, Mrs. Gilbert." He heard Stefan say before the door opened and closed. A different slam came from upstairs, followed by Aunt Jenna's angry voice.

"I will not have my niece doing such things in my house! If you want to go do them somewhere else, fine with me! Just don't come crying to me when you get pregnant!"

He simply shook his head again and focused back on his game.

"Me? I'm scared of everything."

That caught his attention. He lifted his head and stared at the TV. A man no older than his early thirties with curly brown hair was looking down upon a slender looking girl who probably wasn't much older than he was.

"Sweet, I arrived just in time for the best part." Jenna commented as she walked back into the room to sit down.

He didn't look away as the man in the TV continued to confess his emotions to the girl in front of him.

"I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and…"

"Never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you." Jenna finished, trying to mimic the tone of the man's voice. "Oh god, I'm such a helpless romantic, aren't I?"

He simply nodded, but not really hearing her. His mind had wandered off to the sight of Tyler in his boxers and the desire to lick every inch of that chiseled body.

_Oh. My. God. _

He didn't realize his aunt had been staring at him until he glanced at her. Jenna lowered her gaze down to her hands, a small smile on her lips.

"You remembered him." it wasn't a question.

He had. "Tomorrow's Saturday and I am grounded." It wasn't a question either.

"You play, you pay Jeremy." She said, reaching over to give his hand a squeeze.

He nodded and squeezed back.

* * *

><p>Tyler had been in the shower when he heard his phone ring on his bed. He ignored it, thinking it was just another one of his team mates, still nagging him about why he was becoming a clone of Matt Donovan. Supposedly not getting his ass drunk as much and keeping his dick tucked away from the girls was a red alert for the school body. Even everyone noticed too how Steven Dorlan hadn't gotten up in his face for a while now. He had to admit sometimes he wondered why but he preferred not to have a reason to break their football captain's face and getting sent to prison. Moments later, he turned off the water and grabbed his towel, drying himself and changing into a pair of jeans and a black shirt before putting his ring back on his finger.<p>

He brushed his teeth, mouth washed, and flossed. He then went out into his room and grabbed his phone off the bed. Two messages were missed call from his mom who had left a voicemail. He dismissed the missed calls and pressed to hear the message.

_"Hey, honey, I just wanted to let you know I'll be arriving home late. Mrs. Doreen and I were enjoying each other's company so she asked me to stay for dinner. I expect you to remember your punishment. You've been behaving well and if you keep it up I might let you go early so think about it before you do anything you might regret. Love you."_

He pressed a button to erase the message before he began to look up the phone number for the pizza place on his contacts. He wasn't feeling up to cooking today. Before he could find it, a half screen appeared, indicting a text message had arrived. His eyes widened when he saw it was Jeremy.

_Where r you?_

The image of his mate being in trouble crossed his mind, making his muscles clench in fury at someone trying to hurt him. He breathed in deeply to calm himself down before he typed back. **Home. Why? U ok?**

_Fine. I need to see you. Now. Can you come over?_

If for any reason destiny was finally giving him mercy, he didn't want to risk someone finding out with their noise. He was sure there would be lots of it.

**I'll come to you. Where are you?**

_At home of course. _

He frowned. Was he insane?

**Why? I can't come to you, you know that.**

_Jenna said that you couldn't set a foot through the door, she didn't say anything about you coming through the window. _

He didn't know whether he should be shocked or pleased at his mate's genius. **I'll come over. Stay put.**

He tossed the cellphone back on the bed and jumped out the window, easily landing on the ground. He took off, using his werewolf speed and headed towards the Gilbert house.

* * *

><p>Katherine was fuming. How dare her aunt interrupt them like that? Okay, she was right, it was her house, but she didn't have to practically order Stefan out the door, or could at least wait until he had a short on. He had hesitated about having sex while Jeremy and Jenna were in the house but she convinced him to stay in her… own ways. She had closed the door in Jenna's face when Stefan had left, ignoring her aunt as she said something about not 'crying' and 'pregnant'. She immediately got out her phone and began to text Stefan. It only added to her fury when her boyfriend decided not to text back. She lifted her head to stare at the door when she heard some sound. When she didn't hear anything else, she sighed and laid back on her bed, not really caring if it wasn't Stefan.<p>

Sometime during then she had fallen asleep when she saw herself standing in the middle of the forest in plain daylight. There was no sound of animals or wind around her as if somehow she had gone deaf. That's when she saw it, the huge black wolf with amber eyes, staring back at her blankly. Before she could think of her next move, the wolf lunged at her and jumped, aiming straight for her. She raised her hands up to try to block him when she jerked awake. She was laying on her side, staring at her dresser drawer on her bed, the room now dimmer than she remembered.

She sat up, frowning and thinking. She focused on the door and she felt herself running out of her room and down the stairs, her heart racing, one name in her mind: Jeremy.

She saw Jenna in the living room, watching 'Dirty Dancing'.

"Was Jeremy the one who left?" she asked.

Jenna didn't reply.

She sighed. "Please answer me; it's important to know where he is!"

Jenna finally turned to face her, eyeing her. "Nobody left Katherine."

"Oh. Then what was that sound?"

"I let in some fresh air and the window jammed."

_Great, now I am paranoid. _But what did her dream mean? It wasn't full moon. She just hoped the stupid werewolf didn't end up hurting her cousin or else hell was going to freeze over twice.

"Thank you." she told her aunt with a red face before turning and went upstairs to grab her keys before leaving the house. She needed to find Mason he was the next best thing right now.

She arrived at the Lockwood mansion to find no one even answer the door. _Where was he? _Jeremy didn't have his cellphone and Tyler fucking didn't answer his. Anxiety started to build inside of her.

Then she realized she had one option left. She took out her cellphone again and called Matt.

"Hey, what a surprise." He said.

"Sorry to bother you. Is Mason with you?"

There was a pause. "No, why?"

"I need to talk to him. It's urgent."

Another pause, then Matt's voice again. "I'll tell him when I see him next time, ok?"

Katherine sighed. "Ok. Bye."

* * *

><p>The hot shower felt good to Matt after another long day. He could hear the door of the shower opening but had no fear as to who it was. He slowly turned around to face Mason.<p>

"I thought nothing would be going on tonight."

* * *

><p>Mason caressed Matt's cheek with his thumb, staring into his pale blue eyes. Brushing his lips across Matt's, Mason pulled him close and rested their foreheads together. "I never want to see somebody else touching you."<p>

"I'm sorry." Matt caught Mason's lips with his teeth and wrapped his arms around Mason's waist. His cock began to harden against Mason's hip.

Mason rubbed his body back and forth, touching Matt's, enjoying the feel of the hard warmth on his own. "I'll show you what I can do." Mason growled, spun Matt around and put his back toward the spray. "Put your hands around the showerhead."

Matt's gaze skimmed over his body. When it got to Mason's cock, he licked his lips.

Groaning, Mason grabbed the mesh sponge and shower gel off the shelf to Matt's right. He soaped the sponge and let his gaze linger over his mate.

Matt swallowed hard and his belly contracted. Was that a small shiver?

Working up the suds, Mason put the bottle back and started on Matt's arms. He took his time running the sponge over the planes of Matt's firm chest and shoulders. When he got to the cobbled stomach, he couldn't help but play a little and follow the intriguing ripples of Matt's abs. Slipping further, he grazed Matt's cock with the sponge.

Matt moaned and went on his tiptoes, arching his hips toward Mason, but he didn't drop his hands.

Good. Mason decided to reward him for it. Squeezing the suds onto Matt's cock, he wrapped his hand around it. Damned if Matt didn't whimper. Mason stroked up and down a few times, enjoying the way Matt's prick tensed in his palm. He kept it up until Matt started fucking his hand, then he let go. "No one gave you permission to move."

"Unh." Dropping his chin, Matt relaxed. His prick bobbed out, begging to be touched.

Desire speared through Mason, but he wasn't going to rush this. He wanted Matt mad with lust and show him that no one could give it to him as good as Mason could. Quickly, he washed Matt's legs and feet.

Mason kissed him and let his tongue slip into Matt's mouth for a brief caress. "Turn around and put your hands back around the showerhead."

Matt turned, presenting Mason with a delectable view of his pretty jock ass.

Mason shook off the need to sink between those two mounds in favor of tormenting his mate, but it wasn't easy. His cock was aching to be buried inside Matt's body. Already precome was seeping from his prick, and he knew Matt's was as well, he could smell it.

Mason dragged the sponge down Matt's spine so faintly he knew it tickled, but Matt stood still. Making small circles, Mason lathered the wide shoulders, tight waist and firm globes of Matt's butt. After cleaning Matt's backside he worked his way down one leg, then up the other, pleased with the sounds of pleasure echoing in the stall. Washing out the sponge, Mason stood back and admired the view.

White suds cascaded down Matt's body, mixing with the water swirling around his feet.

Mason moaned. He would never get tired of looking at this boy. "Lean back. Leave your hands where they are and step back. Stick your butt out." He'd only meant to guide Matt into the spray to rinse the soap, but damned if that wasn't a nice position.

Matt stood there with his ass presented so nicely. A shudder wracked his body, making the skin on his back ripple.

Mason set the sponge back on the ledge and knelt. His hands went to his mate's ass. "Let go of the nozzle and put your hands flat against the wall." Once Matt complied, Mason snaked his tongue through Matt's crease and probed his hole. _So far not different than with women._

Matt moaned and mashed himself back onto Mason's face.

Continuing the exploration, Mason didn't let up. He laved, circled and even stabbed his tongue at Matt's hole. His cock jerked at the long, drawn-out mewling sounds Matt made. If that wasn't the sweetest…

Matt pressed back and his breath sped up slightly. "Oh God yes, please…"

Tracing the tight pucker with his tongue, Mason slipped his hands down and rubbed his thumbs against Matt's balls. They were close to his body, testifying to his arousal as loudly as his scent and sounds.

Cupping his hand around them, Mason pulled them closer and licked his way down to the taut sacks before lightly sucking on them.

"Please…I need you to fuck me." Matt's legs shook.

Mason could no longer bear it. He wasn't just torturing Matt, he was torturing himself as well. He was dying to be buried in his mate's body. Snagging the shower gel off the ledge, he coated his cock with it and dripped some down Matt's crease. He pushed one finger into Matt's ass then another.

Matt whined and pushed back, impaling himself further as Mason replaced the bottle on the shelf.

Extracting his fingers, Mason lined up his cock and thrust. He clutched Matt's hips and sank all the way into Matt's greedy body with a hiss.

Nodding, Matt whined and arched his back. "Please…"

Mason growled, feeling his mate's need as keenly as his own. He slipped one hand around Matt's chest and clutched Matt's hip with the other as he shoved in. He fucked Matt hard and fast. The wet slap of skin grew louder than the water hitting the shower floor. The steam made it harder to breathe, or was that exertion?

"You like that? You like my cock in your ass?"

"Love it," Matt panted.

"Anything feel better?"

"No. Fuck me."

Mason gave the ass a sharp slap. "Whose ass is this?"

"Yours!"

Mason hammered into his mate and Matt was with him the whole way, pushing himself back on Mason's cock. It was the best proof he was okay that Mason could ask for. He was never going to let Matt go.

"See how good I can do you? No girl could ever do that. I am the only who fucks you" Mason was so close, his balls tight, he had to make sure Matt was with him. Sliding a hand down Matt's chest, he gripped Matt's cock and pumped a few times.

"You; only you." Panting, Matt nodded. "Good. You do me so good." His voice was hoarse, strained, as he continued to writhe.

Just the thought of Matt being solely for him and no one else made Mason come. He thrust forward one last time before his body tensed and tingled. A shiver raced up his spine, taking his breath. Matt's cock jerked then he arched forward. His ass gripped Mason's cock and he moaned as the musky aroma of spunk pierced the air.

* * *

><p>Katherine was unable to sleep. The dream came to her time and again in her mind. What would it mean? She vowed to let nothing distract her from it.<p>

Her phone rang, indicating a message. She groaned, but reached for it anyway. The message was from Stefan. _Now he answers._

When she opened the message she saw that it was a picture of at least three dildos of different forms. Under the picture was a text. For next time?

She smiled and felt a shiver running through her body. Desire shot through her brain, making her nipples stiffen and her slit wet.

**Count on it** she texted back.

_What a guy._ She thought. The aspect of fucking Stefan fully next time was such a turn on she led her hand slide into her underwear and began relieving herself. When she was done she drifted to sleep very quickly, the only animal in her dreams this time was Stefan and he was a beast in a good way.

* * *

><p>Jeremy lay on his bed, chewing at his inner lip and not really feeling the cold coming in through the window as his mind was set on what he was about to do. He should stop and make up some lame excuse about bringing him here before sending him back home but something wasn't letting him. Partly was because of his dull desire to screw with Tyler, another…was his logical side. What was left of it at the moment anyway. He knew it had to happen sooner or later, so why not—no he couldn't just finish that sentence. He felt an intense attraction towards Tyler and he couldn't keep looking the other. He had said he was trying to sort things out and since the whole ordeal was crazy anyway so why not start today. <em>If I end up dead or in the hospital, it'll be my fault. <em>He closed his eyes, waiting for Tyler to come.

"Jeremy!"

Jeremy was so startled he nearly fell of his bed.

"Jeremy, what's wrong?" Tyler asked. He steadied himself and stared at his…suitor's concerned face. _How can anyone be this gorgeous? How can anybody come through a window this silent? _He stared into the chestnut colored eyes, sliding his gaze down to the curves of his slightly panting lips. _All mine. _He slowly felt the logical side of his brain fade, replaced by a need to touch and be touched. He didn't notice the jock had grown utterly silent not moving away from the window, watching his emotions play out across his face as he continued to stare at his mouth.

"Jeremy…" he heard the werewolf, the voice concerned but also laced with pure desire. The raven haired older boy stepped closer to the bed until their faces were inches apart.

"Do it now Tyler," Jeremy wanted to have it over, "but show me you first, not him."

Tyler shook his head. "No."

"What?" Jeremy had no idea what this was about. Didn't Tyler want this? And what was he referring to? The sex or showing Jeremy himself? Jeremy didn't want to wait anymore and quickly took his shirt off. If he was horny as hell against his will he could just as well enjoy the ride.

Tyler's nostrils flared at the sight but he quickly shook his head as if to clear it. He must have read his confusion. "We will. I want you and you will have me not my wolf. In any way you want. But not tonight."

"Why?" Jeremy was a bit frustrated and his cock demanded attention.

"In two weeks, its new moon then we will do it. That is when we supposedly have to have our mating. But I'm not buying it and I am not having sex with you out in the cold."

Jeremy tried to answer but Tyler put a finger on his lips. Jeremy couldn't resist and licked it. Tyler quickly pulled back, clearly struggling with himself.

When he had regained his composure he added. "That day and the day after Mason will be totally occupied with claiming Matt and you are no longer grounded. Trust me; the guy jumped Matt at the first opportunity he got so on that day his cock will do all the thinking for him."

Jeremy felt his brows rise. He got what Tyler was up to. "No one to interrupt us this time."

Tyler smiled. "Exactly. Think about it, had Mason not been there we could have gotten all of this over already. This time there will be no Mason and we can think of something for your cousin. Than we can leave town and do it somewhere special."

Jeremy thought that a bit too much but then he had an idea. "Only under one condition."

"Which one?"

"You will only have your boxers on," when Tyler looked questioningly at him Jeremy added, "right now."

Tyler seemed to think about it but then did as he was told, obviously not really hesitant. Jeremy forced himself to undress in the same way as he watched Tyler getting, nearly, naked, instead of simply massaging his cock. A bit more light might be better but still he could make out enough of Tyler's body to appreciate the view and lick his lips as Tyler bend over to get rid of his pants and socks. He crooked his finger and Tyler came to him, kneeling down.

"Two weeks is plenty of time," Tyler started again, "we date, as much as is possible with regard to your grounding, we get to know each other and then we will do it."

"We would have to do it anyway," Jeremy said albeit his cock told him to shut up and take Tyler.

Tyler forced a small smile. "We could get to know each other better first."

Jeremy smiled himself. He bent forward, took Tyler's hands in his and rested them on his pecs. He laid back and rested on his arms, waiting for Tyler to do the next step.

Tyler started to slowly rub his hands up and down while looking Jeremy into the eyes. The sensation made Jeremy involuntarily stop his breath. He didn't know a simple act like that could be so erotic. A second before he was confidence in person; and now one actual touch from Tyler was enough and he felt like a little boy on his first day of school.

Tyler's face came closer, an inch or two, his eyes scanning Jeremy's face and his thumbs on Jeremy's nipples. Jeremy felt unable to move, only able to watch Tyler. Their nearly simultaneous breathing was the only sound in the room and Jeremy felt his cock leaking again. When Tyler's hands rested on Jeremy's side the werewolf came even closer, their lips only an inch apart and Jeremy's breathing more uneven; his heart was beating rapidly.

Tyler closed his eyes and gently pressed his lips on Jeremy's. Jeremy gasped, the sound muffled by Tyler's lips and his body arched forward. Tyler gently cupped his neck, while having his right hand close to Jeremy's left nipple, but not touching as if afraid of what might happen then.

They kissed slowly, mouths only slightly open at first but then Jeremy got a tad bolder again. He laid his left hand on Tyler's shoulder and grabbed Tyler's right arm with the other hand. Both boys tilted their heads in opposite directions so not to have their noses in the way, with Tyler stroking through the hair at the base of Jeremy's head. Jeremy let his hand slide to Tyler's neck as Tyler did the same, both putting more effort into their open-mouthed kisses, never breaking lip-contact.

Jeremy lay back on the bed with Tyler lying on his right side. He let his hand slide through Tyler's hair as they continued to kiss. Tyler slowly let his right hand slide under Jeremy's boxers, making Jeremy's hips arch and his heart and breathing rate rise. Jeremy stopped in his arching motion as well as with stroking Tyler's hair, being too nervous and not knowing how to continue. Tyler took matters into his own hands by gently continuing to kiss Jeremy in a manner that indicated safety and gentleness and at the same time slowly pushing a bit of the boxers back to gently run his hand over Jeremy's buttock. He gently kneaded the flesh before pushing Jeremy's boxers down to his ankles, with Jeremy kicking the off the rest of the way.

Tyler broke the kiss and started to move down on Jeremy. He first placed a kiss on Jeremy's chin, then a slightly stronger one on his Adams apple, sucking a bit, before placing one on his chest and a few on the sensitive skin on Jeremy's stomach.

Jeremy was unable to do anything but stare at the ceiling and having his arms half-raised but stiff – only slightly stroking Tyler's hair once as the boy moved downward - the sensations too overwhelming.

As Tyler moved back up, Jeremy's head moved towards him, catching Tyler in a scorching kiss. As Tyler was half above him Jeremy hooked his big toe into the waistband of Tyler's boxers and pushed them down. He wiggled under Tyler, getting his hands free and clumsily reaching for Tyler's shoulders as the other boy teased him a bit by withholding kisses and Jeremy going after them with his mouth as if he was to be parched and Tyler was water.

When he had captured Tyler's lips again he had his hands only sparsely on his shoulder blades before he ran them over Tyler's neck and one through his hair, keeping the boy down and getting one kiss after the other, both boys having slight smiles on their lips as they did so. Tyler kissed Jeremy's neck before pulling him up into a sitting position, letting his hand run over Jeremy's back while he let his hands run through Tyler's hair again.

Jeremy started to emit deep-drawn sighs as Tyler started to suck at his left pec and squeeze his dick. Jeremy clumsily searched for Tyler's dick with closed eyes, while Tyler jerked him off faster and his sighs melting more and more into high-pitched moans.

The boys jerked each other of eagerly, never stopping kissing and panting. Their bodies shivered as both came with high-pitched moans, shouting come over the place and pressing their bodies against each other, burying their fingers into each other's flesh.

A part of Jeremy was sad that it was over so soon and that his thoughts were so queer but another didn't give a damn because it felt so good. Jeremy slowly opened his eyes, his mind still racing back and forth and his breathing more even, both of their breathings actually. It felt so good to have so much of Tyler's naked skin pressed against his own. He had no intention of leaving Tyler's embrace, satisfied with the warmth he found there, and neither did Tyler want to escape from Jeremy's as it seemed.

* * *

><p>Note: Review please? :33<p> 


	40. Don't Bother

First Time for Everything

Chapter 40

( ): It's so funny to hear that you can relate to Kyle! :D Thank you so much for reviewing!

Let's get some shoes: XD Thanks! It did take long for this chapter and I do apologize for that :_ but yup Jyler finally happened! Hehe I love Kelly! It took me a moment the first time I saw the video that she was actually a man! But I really love her attitude and her love for shoes! :) My favorite reference from Kelly would have to be this one: "My ex bf is a cyber space coward and he plays with his asshole in the shower!" LOL

093022m: And I appreciate you taking the time to give your thoughts :) And don't worry about taking long to review, I know life can be busy at times. But I was thinking about that too! Jeremy and Tyler are together now but they don't really know much about each other yet! Drama! Dun dun duuuun lol

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><p>Matt groaned when he heard a cellphone ringing on the nightstand.<p>

"Are you gonna get that?" Mason mumbled sleepily next to him.

It took him a few seconds to realize it was indeed his cellphone that was ringing. He sighed and sat up, reaching over and unplugging it from the charger. He pressed the button to check who the missed call was from.

Vicky.

He felt a pang of guilt in his chest. It had only been three days since he had accepted Mason. During that time, he realized he's been spending less time with his sister. He now slept over at Mason's and left his sibling alone back at the house practically the whole day.

"Who was it?" he heard the older man ask.

"My sister."

"So I see Mason Lockwood has replaced me." She answered three rings later.

"Don't be stupid, he has not. I'm sorry for not being there as much as I used to these past few days but…"

"I was kidding; I've been managing on my own, surprisingly. Also, I wouldn't want to ruin your happiness."

"What?"

"It's obvious to everyone you look happier again."

He remembered now; the rumors and the stares about how possibly he and Jeremy could be together again. He felt his face heat up, remembering last night, and gave Mason a brief glance. The werewolf was now staring at him, an eyebrow raised and a smirk on the corners of his lips. He turned away, his face still red. "So how have you been? Everything okay?"

He heard some shuffling around. "Food's going down, for sure. Other than that, everything's fine."

"I'll head to the market and drop it off before work then."

"You work today?"

"I work all week except for Sundays, you know that."

Pause. "Why not take the day off?"

"Cause the bills don't."

"They only come once a month, Mattie. Don't make life hard for yourself."

"It's not like I do it on purpose. I wish they all came on the same day to get it over with but that's not gonna happen."

"But…"

"I have to go. I'll see you later, Vic. Love you."

He hung up and stared at the wall. He didn't like talking about his financial life in front of others, not even Tyler.

"I'm here to help." Mason suddenly said.

He lowered his gaze, having the feeling of what he was referring to. "Thanks but I can handle things on my own. It wouldn't be right for you to pay me everything."

"When Richard turned sixteen, our parents made him start working in his business as the paper filer. Wasn't a big job but it gave him a big responsibility so, when he got older and got a bigger opportunity, working would seem almost as normal to him as breathing. I worked too, by the way. Jobs here and there, especially when I traveled, even before the accident." He paused, lost in thought for a moment, before he continued, "But that doesn't mean we can't use the help once in a while, right?"

Matt stared at him, surprised but interested in the fact that Mason had decided to share some of his past life with him, to make him see he wasn't backing down in his offer to help him with his personal life. _Like a married couple. _It felt weird to think about it that way but strangely it didn't feel uncomfortable. He nodded and placed his phone back on the nightstand. He lay back down and moved closer to Mason, entwining their fingers together. "Thank you."

They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other in silence. Then Matt licked his lips, a smirk on his lips as his eyes narrowing mischievously towards his sexy werewolf.

"Hungry?"

Mason heard the change of tone in his voice and met his eye with a grin. "What did you have in in mind?"

* * *

><p>Tyler woke up, feeling sheets tangled around his legs as he stared at the small patch of exposed skin from Jeremy's shoulder. With a smile, he curled his right hand over his mate's covered hip and leaned forward and breathed in the delicious scent of Jeremy and sex, both his wolf and he hummed with satisfaction as the memories from last night floated back into his mind. He felt his cock tighten against Jeremy's butt cheek, not minding going for round two.<p>

His lips then touched the warm skin, moving gently up the side of Jeremy's neck to place a kiss there, causing the boy to stir. His hand on his mate's hip then moved downwards, teasing the soft skin with his fingertips until he reached his destination.

This caused Jeremy to let out a breathily moan, his hand reaching down to cover his own. For a second, he thought Jeremy was going to stop him; instead, his mouth dropped open slightly in surprise when his mate began to move his hand, picking up pace as it went along.

Tyler felt a small trickle of warm liquid gather at the tip of his dick. The temptation to thrust into Jeremy was immense but he needed to wait, it would be worth it. He'd make sure of it.

* * *

><p>Jeremy spasmed and muffled his moan into his free hand as he went over both their hands.<p>

They took a moment to both catch their breath before they wiped their hands on the sheets. Jeremy then rolled towards him to place a soft kiss on his lips.

"Morning, stud." He said, with a soft snort.

Instead of answering, he simply smirked and pulled him on top before pulling his face down to continue their kiss. A few minutes later, the moment was ruined by the sound of two quick but firm knocks at the door. Jeremy pulled back and started down at him with wide eyes. Then a cellphone began to vibrate from somewhere on the floor.

"Katherine." he told him, face now serious.

"Hold on." Jeremy mumbled, getting off.

The boy grabbed his phone off the floor and pressed the button to see the text message.

"What did she say?" he asked.

"That you need to go before Jenna finds you're here."

Tyler didn't need to growl lowly in his throat to know he was just as upset with the news as he was. Then it stopped as quickly as it came. He turned to look at him and saw his face had softened quickly, eyeing him. It took him a few seconds to realize the older boy was checking to see if he had frightened him. He gave him a small reassuring smile as he threw his phone onto the bed before climbing up to straddle Tyler again.

"But she isn't the boss of me." he whispered against the older boy's lips before they resumed their kissing. Probably no more than a minute later, a more persistent knock was heard at the door followed by a low whisper he couldn't make out. He pulled back to see Tyler narrow his eyes over at the door.

"Will you go away?" he demanded.

No reply.

"She's still waiting outside." Tyler mumbled. Moving his eyes back towards him, he almost seemed to pout. "I seriously don't want to go back to my hell hole."

"I don't want you to go back either but Jenna would probably extend my punishment if she catches you…"

"Jenna, Jeremy is being stubborn!" Katherine called with a childish tone.

"Bitch." He and Tyler commented at the same time. Tyler smirked and kissed him one more time before he gently moved him off and got off the bed to search for his clothes.

Jeremy laid down on his stomach, watched Tyler dress, already feeling the loss of the boy's touch. Tyler saw his expression and made a move towards him when his head jerked towards the door, eyes wide. Seconds later, a loud knock was set at the door.

"Jeremy." Jenna said firmly.

"I'll be there; just give me a moment, please." he said just as firmly.

There was silence, his eyes still on Tyler as the black haired boy continued to dress as quietly as possible.

There was the sound of whispering outside the door for a moment before Jenna agreed; threatening him to drag him out if he wasn't downstairs in five minutes.

Once the coast was clear upstairs, Tyler had done dressing himself and decided to push him back on the bed before leaning down and brushing his nose over the side of his neck, inhaling deeply and growling in pleasure.

"You smell good."

His eyes fluttered closed as he felt Tyler's warm tongue on his skin. Then he heard Tyler growl and pull away. He opened his eyes and watched Tyler stick his feet into his shoes.

It was hard but he knew the older boy had to leave.

"The best thing I can think of right now is for us to behave; maybe that can let your aunt and my mom see for a chance of cutting us loose earlier. At least for me; I still have about four weeks or so."

He nodded. "I'll see you Monday then."

Tyler sighed and glanced at the doorway before leaning down to kiss him. "I'll try to come by tonight."

"And if you don't?"

The werewolf smirked. "Then I'll see you on Monday."

He rolled his eyes, giving him a shove. "Fine."

With one last kiss, Tyler walked over to the window. When he opened it, he glanced at him one more time before he jumped off. By the time he walked over, Tyler was gone.

At the kitchen, the girls were already eating, his plate sitting on the table next to a half filled cup of milk.

"That was defiantly more than five minutes." Jenna commented.

He didn't reply as he sat down and picked up his fork for to begin eating his pancakes.

They ate in silence, watching Katherine from the corner of his eye as she made frustrated faces down at her phone.

When he was done, he glanced at Jenna to see she was staring back at him with a knowing expression. She slammed her hands semi-gently on the table as she sat up and picked up her dishes. "Alright, I've carefully planned out your day, Jeremy."

"Huh?" he asked, confused.

She placed the dishes in the sink and turned to him, unfazed. "Well, you didn't expect to just lie around the house all day, did you? That would beat the point of you being grounded; to learn your lesson the hard way."

* * *

><p>Tyler had been half way home when Mason sent him a text message.<p>

_Your mother called. She asked where you were all night and I covered for you. Told her you stayed with me for some bonding time and whatnot. You're welcome and I hope you haven't managed to curse yourselves._

He arrived home moments later, parking his car next to his father's.

**No, I told Jeremy we would be doing that in two weeks. And thanks, I owe you one. **

_Good. Actually you owe me more than that. _

**Don't remind me. You working?**

_Yeah. If you need to talk, I'll come by after. _

**Alright. See you then. **

He went up the steps and unlocked the door. He stepped inside and listened to locate everyone in the house. His father was in his office on the phone and his mother had been reading on her bed before she heard the door open.

"Tyler?" she called, walking towards the stairs.

"Yeah, it's me."

She appeared at the top of the stairs as he headed for his room to shower.

"I've called you like six times. Why didn't you tell me you were going to Mason's?"

"I'm sorry, mom, I was very tired and I practically fell asleep the moment I got there, anyway."

She studied him, not convinced. "Then leave me a message before you go out next time. I hope you're not doing anything you shouldn't be; you're still grounded."

He reached the stop of the stairs and faced her, hands in his pockets. "I know."

"I was actually thinking yesterday of going to see him later on to see how he was doing."

"Okay." He said, shrugging.

She stared at him, still suspecting something was up. "The medication is making me feel a little drowsy so I might take a nap first."

He nodded, the familiar guilt in his heart. She smiled, shaking her head, before she came over and embraced him. He froze for a second, feeling awkward before he relaxed and returned her affection the best he could.

Once inside his room, he checked the time on his alarm clock; 1:15. Still early in the day.

After his shower, he dressed and brushed his teeth. As he was done with flossing, he heard his father's footsteps coming up towards the stairs. Moments later, he rolled his eyes when he heard a knock at the door.

"Open up." his father called.

He went over and opened the door, giving the man a curt nod in greeting.

His father stepped inside without one of his own and inspected the room for a moment before turning to face him. "Did you finish your homework?"

"I was about to work on it."

"I was meaning to talk about your grades last month but it slipped out of my mind with all that was going on."

_Shit, he remembered the C._

His father dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, holding it up in the air and shaking it lightly for emphasis before pacing around the room.

"A 'C' in Calculus?" his father asked. He opened the half folded paper in his hands and checked it over. "Wonder how that got there."

"It's a pretty hard subject, sir."

His father stopping his annoying pacing and standing right in front of him. "I agree it is. But that's why we have something called 'tutoring'."

He said nothing.

"So do you think you can catch up on your own or do I need to assign you one? Just be damn careful about what you choose because I do not wanting to see that fucking grade again, is that clear?"

He resisted the urge to flinch as his voice began to rise. "Matt could help me. He scored a B plus in the last exam."

Gratefully, his father's cellphone began to ring in his pocket, usually bringing an end to their conversation. His father stared at him, debating. After a moment, he nodded, "I better see results or else."

His old man then walked past him. "What is it, Jerry?"

He was defiantly getting kicked out when they knew about Jeremy.

* * *

><p>Matt had just finished giving a table their orders when he heard the familiar chime of the doorbell. He glanced over to see a group of football jocks from school, laughing about something. They stopped when they saw him. He turned away so they wouldn't notice his eye roll. Of course Dorlan had to tag along or something was wrong with the world.<p>

When he placed the trays upon the kitchen counter, he reminded himself to be the better man. He took out his pad and pen as he searched for the group of idiots. He spotted David as he waved him over at one of the booths.

"Hey, Matt, how've you been?" Alex asked.

"Good, thanks. So same thing as always?" he asked, writing in his pad.

"You know it."

"Anything else I could get you guys?" he asked.

"So are you and Jeremy getting back together or what?" Steven asked, a cocky smirk on his face.

Matt looked around quickly before giving him a glare. "We're just friends now." _Not that it's any of your damn business. _He hated when they got Jeremy involved and decided to talk about it in public.

Steven raised his hands in mock defense, his smirk disappearing as he stared at him. "I was just curious. I'm sure Mason wonders the same thing."

* * *

><p><em>The little shit. <em>Klaus narrowed his eyes in the direction of the restaurant's entrance. _He's going to blow our cover too soon. _He pulled out his new cell phone and speed dialed a certain number.

"Yes, sir?"

"Stop Dorlan from running his fucking mouth. You know what to do with Donovan."

"Right away, sir."

* * *

><p>Matt felt the air turn cold around him, every single muscle tensing in his body as he stared into Steven's face for any sign he was messing with him.<p>

From somewhere, he heard Alex comment, "Whoa, dude, you don't look so good."

He felt someone place a hand on his shoulder. Thinking it was Mason, he knew his mate had heard and there was a chance Steven's brain would soon be splattered on the floor.

He glanced over, only to see it wasn't Mason at all. In fact, he didn't even recognize the guy. The guy looked in his late twenties, his face serious and filled with determination.

"Continue working. Steven never said anything." He whispered, staring intently into his eyes. He stared right back into his, not able to respond as a strange, but powerful, feeling came over him. It came as quickly as it come. He blinked twice and found himself staring at nothing.

"Steve, where you going?" Anthony called next to him. He turned and saw Dorlan leaving with someone.

"Stay here." Daniel then said, moving out of the booth and heading quickly out of the building.

He decided it was none of his business and eyed the two remains jocks in the booth. "Anything else?"

"No, man, we're cool." Alex mumbled, glancing at the entrance.

He then turned and ripped the paper from the pad and placed it on the kitchen counter. "Order up!"

* * *

><p>Steven gritted his teeth to keep from crying out as Klaus painfully grabbed his hair as soon as they were out of public eye in the woods.<p>

"You stupid little prick. What did you think you were going to accomplish with the shit you just pulled?" Klaus demanded lowly in his ear.

"I was just joking around…"

A hiss escaped broke from his mouth when the original tightened his grip until he felt his head was going to explode.

"You're making me regret my decision in changing you, Dorlan. I could kill you right now for being…"

"No!" he heard Daniel's loud protest. He glanced to see the human take a step towards them when Klaus' vampire minion grabbed him and forced his hands behind his back. _Fucking idiot. You can't help me for shit right now. _

There was a pause from Klaus as he stared at Daniel for a moment longer before he lowered his eyes back on him, his hold loosening only slightly as the blonde roughly made him look at him right in the eye.

"You will stay away from Matt, Tyler, Jeremy, Mason, or their families. You are not even allowed to say a word to them unless it is for something for school, do you understand?"

Steven fought to resist, hating to be the one compelled and feel weak. In the end, Klaus won and he nodded.

He was then released.

"You're not funny, Steven. You're not even as popular as you think you are. Think about things before you make your next move or you will come to regret them." Klaus said, no pity in his voice.

With that, the original nodded to his minion and they left. He glared in the direction both vampires had left. He had been right; in times like these he regretted to bring Klaus and his brother to town. He could have just killed Tyler off and left, not caring how much compulsion he needed to keep the police off his ass.

"Steve?" Daniel called hesitantly, now right behind him.

He rolled his eyes, annoyed that the human had followed. "Go back to the guys and tell him I felt sick and went home."

He felt the boy's hand touch his own. "But…"

With that, his anger snapped. He slammed Daniel onto the dirt below, feeling the dark veins rise around his eyes. He had both hands now around his neck, tightening them only enough where he would cut off only some of the oxygen and leave the boy gasping.

"Wha…!" Daniel chocked out, trying miserably to pry his hands off.

How he wished he could have Lockwood like this; pathetic and begging for mercy as his mate watched him die. Maybe he should twist it and have Lockwood watch as he fucked Gilbert then kill the little faggot before twisting Lockwood's head off.

Daniel was now practically crying below. With a frustrated growl, he stood up and took a swing at the nearest tree, almost cracking it in half as bark flew into the air. He felt a bone crack roughly in one of his fingers as the scent of blood filled his nose.

"Leave!" he snarled without turning towards Daniel who was coughing heavily.

Seconds later, he heard footsteps run in the direction of the grill, grateful that he was left alone.

When he made sure he was alone, he stared down at his now healed hand though a few drops managed to spill over and fall onto the ground. _Alone; like he always was._

* * *

><p>Jeremy's muscles were sore by the time he got a break from Jenna five hours later. He had managed to clean the dishes, mop the floor, vacuum the floor, take out the trash, do the laundry—everyone's, he might add—, scrub his bathroom,—at least that was only his own- and finally clean his room. Mentally he prayed that his aunt would run out of ideas as she showered and got ready in her room. One thing for sure, Jenna had surprisingly enjoyed seeing him squirm.<p>

_He pushed the vacuum cleaner into the living room where Jenna and Katherine were busy eating chocolate covered rains as the sound of some girl crying over a haircut on "America's Next Top Model". _

"_I would put a bullet in me so fast if my hair ever got that short." Katherine commented as she shook her head, her eyes unmoving from the screen. _

"_Amen to that." Jenna replied, popping another treat into her mouth._

_They then raised their legs before he could ask them to move. Their eyes seemingly not able to tear away move from the screen like controlled puppets. _

"_Save the third one for me." he mumbled, not surprised he simply got ignored._

"I'm going to see Stefan; I'll be back later. Don't try to be smart and try to sneak out, okay?" Katherine said as he heard her pop up into the living room doorway. He glanced at her.

"I would take my own advice."

She waved it off. "I left a note on her door."

He rolled his eyes and shrugged, telling her it was her life.

He focused back on the screen. When he didn't hear her leave a moment later, he glanced back at her questionably.

"I'm sorry that you're having a crappy weekend." She paused and asked, "Did you want me to bring you something? Something for school or some munchies?"

He shook his head, giving her a small smile. "Have fun."

She nodded, looking awkward. "Alright, I'll see you guys later then."

He turned back to the T.V. when the door opened and closed seconds later. A couple of minutes later, the phone rang, making him sigh that he had to get up.

"Hello?" he asked.

"My baby, what a surprise! How are you?" his mother's cheerful voice flowing over the line.

He smiled. "Good, mom. How are you? How are things over there?"

"I'm fine, darling, don't worry. I was actually calling to tell you that I got interviewed this morning."

"That's awesome! Where was it at?"

"The secretary office around the corner of Boston street. They didn't tell me I'm going to get it exactly but one must always be positive, right?"

"Of course. I know you'll get the job, mom. The people in town know you're a good, hard working person. They'd be stupid not to hire you!"

She laughed. "Thank you, darling. How you make me feel better. I miss you so much, my baby."

He suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He had to put down the phone and take a deep breath before putting the receiver back on to his ear.

"You still there, Jer?"

"Yeah, I'm here, mom."

"Oh I hope I'm not making you sad or anything."

"No, I just thought that someone was at the door."

There was a pause at the other end. "Oh, okay."

"I miss you too mom and I love you."

Another pause. A longer one. S_hit, now he was going to make her cry. _He quickly tried to change the topic. "I made another friend at school."

He heard a sniffle. "I'm so glad, Jere. Is it a boy or girl?"

"Boy."

"What's his name?"

He licked his lips, thankful Jenna's blow dryer was on in her room. "Tyler. He's actually Matt's best friend."

"How nice. Is he blonde too?"

He smiled. "No. He's got black hair. Shorter than Matt but…" _He will always be the sexiest guy on earth to me. _"He's cool and he plays football." _And is a werewolf. _

His mother surprises him by laughing. But then he felt content knowing his mother no longer wanted to cry. "I know, I know."

"And here I thought you would rather die than to hang out with a 'cocky, thick-headed jock'; I remember hearing those words somewhere."

He rolled his eyes, still smiling. "Well, what can I say? Life sometimes changes you."

"I'm glad you're opening your mind. And to see that there's athletes out there who aren't as bad as the ones over here."

"Me too."

They talked for a while longer before his mom decided she wanted to talk to Jenna. Gratefully, it didn't sound like she had told his mother anything about getting grounded.

He called Jenna upstairs to pick up the phone.

"Alright so I'll talk to you later, mom. I love you."

"Love you too, baby. Don't get into trouble."

"I won't." _Try to get into more. _

He disconnected once his aunt's voice came on the line. His stomach growled, making him glance over to the fridge. He walked over and checked out what was inside. He then decided to make himself two ham sandwiches. He grabbed a Pepsi and the bag of Doritos and walked back to the living room. He sighed and took a big bite of his sandwich. For the first time in his life, he was looking forward to Monday.

* * *

><p>Matt was changing in the locker room after another long day of work at the grill. He had almost spend the entire day working with only an hour break for lunch which he spend texting Mason while he ate a bowl of spaghetti and bread sticks he ordered.<p>

He glanced at the door when he heard someone knock.

"Mattie!" Vicky called.

"Just a minute!"

He quickly finished changing and packed his dirty uniform into his bag before walking out the door to see his sister. He smiled and hugged her.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Just wanted to come and see you." she paused and shrugged. "I miss you."

He closed his eyes and groaned when he remembered he needed to go grocery shopping. Vicky somehow read his mind and giggled.

"I'll help you to make the trip quicker…unless you had some plans with Mason."

"No, he told me earlier that his mother-in-law was going to come over to see him. Anyway I told him that I should stay at home for today to take care of you."

She rolled her eyes as they walked to the entrance, waving at his manager and wishing him a goodnight.

* * *

><p><strong>She's on her way. Keep her there as much as you can until I'm done. Shouldn't take too long. <strong>

_Okay. _

Wow did he not want to think how much he owed him. He listened as his mom left the house, leaving him with his father. He waited until his mom's car faded down the street before he made his move. He touched his wallet for what it seemed like the hundredth time before he slipped on his jacket and headed next door where his father was changing after a shower. He knocked and his old man answered a moment later, looking slightly annoyed.

"Yes?"

"I let Matt borrow a textbook from me last week at school. I forgot to get it back and I need it for homework. Can I please go and get it back?"

His father stared at him for a second, determining if he was up to something. Finally, he nodded. "Don't get distracted. Get the book and come straight back."

"Yes, sir."

He couldn't help but smirk as he turned on his car. The asshole had fallen for it.

He parked about a block away from the Verizon Wireless service provider his family used.

"Good evening, sir. How can we help you today?" a woman in her late twenties greeted him with a flirty smile.

"I want to buy a phone; one that isn't too costly but works perfectly."

"Of course. Follow me."

The chick continued in trying to impress him with smiles and her knowledge about how each phone worked but he couldn't care less. Eventually, she gave up. In the end, he bought the same phone he had: the Iphone 4S. So much for not letting it be too costly. But this was for the person he would be spending the rest of life with so what the fuck, right?

"This one." He said.

"Alright and we actually have some specials today for our phone services." she said, leading over to what he guessed was her desk.

He sat down and watched as she pulled out a couple of information pamphlets.

"We originally have our 450 minutes for only forty dollars a month or unlimited calling for only thirty dollars more. For a limited time…"

"What does the forty dollars a month include for texting?"

"It would be twenty cents per text, whether sending or receiving. But if you buy the seventy unlimited minutes calling plan, we also include unlimited texting and web browsing."

"I'll take it."

She seemed surprised at how calm he sounded but then she must have known that he was a Lockwood so the surprise lasted only so long. She smiled at him and nodded, typing on her computer.

About an hour and a half later, he left; only to be called by his father. He debated on ignoring it but he rolled his eyes and answered it.

"I decided to take the time for Matt to help me with some math problems. I'll be home soon."

Pause. "Fine." Disconnect.

He added Jeremy's number into his phone and vice versa when he heard Katherine behind him.

"Hey."

He turned and saw her standing there, a large bag in each hand, with a look he couldn't decide between angry or plain bored.

"Hey…" he said, awkwardly.

She walked over to him and gave nodded towards the phone in his hand. "Shopping for someone?"

"No." he said, too quickly. "My old cell just started to fail on somethings…"

"I'm not stupid, Tyler. I know it's for Jeremy; he doesn't have a working cellphone right now and it can't be a coincidence that you just didn't decide to get your old cellphone fixed even though you're rich."

_Freaky how she does that. _He didn't reply as he just placed the cellphones into his jacket pocket, playing with the bag's wire covered handles.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment before he broke the silence.

"Did you want to say something else?"

"No. I was going for some shopping of my own before I go back home. Stefan's been weird with me for a few days now."

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "It'll pass;" she leaned against the wall and looked at her nails.

He suddenly remembered his uncle's suspicion towards her; how she knew about what he and his uncle were.

"Katherine."

She looked up at him, no expression on her face.

"How did you know?"

Her expression didn't change. "All I can say is that you guys can trust me. We both want the same goal: for Jeremy to be happy. Even if you are far from my first choice to be honest. I know you and the…off you remember?"

With that she leaned off the wall and held out her hand, "Want me to give it to him or do you?"

He looked down at her hand thoughtfully and placed the device into the bag that included the charger, user's guide, and a pair of free headphones. He handed it to her. "Thanks."

He could feel his wolf practically yelling at him not to trust her. But his gut told him he could. She was Jeremy's cousin and she had tried to help him get together before. The only question being; what the hell was she?

She nodded and wished him a goodnight before she walked away.

* * *

><p>Stefan wasn't trying to push her away on purpose. He loved Katherine with his soul but she either couldn't or didn't want to understand that he needed to keep his grades up or he'd be kicked off the football team. He loved her but he loved football as well. Damon had taught him how to play since they were old enough to even hold a football and he's loved it ever since.<p>

He sighed and pushed his homework away on his desk, the guilt not letting him concentrate enough. He glanced over at his cellphone and hesitated for a moment before reaching over and looking through his contacts until he saw Katherine. His finger hovered over the call button but he decided to wait and talk to her in person.

* * *

><p>Katherine arrived at home a while later. She greeted her aunt who was in the living room.<p>

"Where's Jeremy?"

"In his room."

"Thanks."

She went up the stairs and knocked on the door. He called for her to come in. Inside, he was drying off his hair with a towel, already in his pajamas.

"I got something for you."

He sighed. "Of course you did."

"Come look at them." She said, bringing the bags on top of his bed.

He came over and looked as she placed the t-shirts onto his bed. She had bought several different colors of shirts. "You're a medium, right?"

"Yeah."

"So what do you think?"

He brought them up and unfolded them, eyeing them curiously. "Not bad."

She smiled and held up a bag of candy. "This too."

"Even better." He said, taking it.

She smacked him on the head. "I think you mean 'thank you, my amazing cousin for taking the time to buy me things'."

He snorted. "Thank you."

"With the weather, I recommend you wearing these with a jacket too."

"Okay."

She then helped them hang them in his closet. "I was also shocked to know other colors existed."

"Shut up."

She closed the closet door and turned to him seriously.

He frowned at the change of mood. "What did I do now?"

She shook her head. "Tyler knows about me."

His eyes widened. "That you're…?"

"Not exactly. He only knows I'm not completely human but I told him they could trust me."

"When did all this happen?"

"Before I came home…which reminds me…"

"Was Mason there?"

"No, thankfully. If he would have threatened me I would have done something to protect myself. Then Matt would have my head. Anyway, Tyler bought you a new phone."

His mouth dropped open. "Already?"

"You knew about it?" she asked, surprised as she walked over to the bag and lifted up the phone.

"Holy shit that's three hundred dollars."

"I'm starting to get envious." She said, teasingly.

"What if Tyler tells Mason then?" he asks, ignoring her comment.

"Well his uncle shouldn't have anything to do with what Tyler buys you."

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I'm referring to."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you worried that the uncle would want to get rid of me?"

He didn't reply.

"If it comes down to that, I will protect myself but if you want to want the peace of mind and avoid Matt a painful death, then talk to Tyler."

Jeremy thought about this for a moment before he glanced over at the closed door.

"I'll join her downstairs. Send me a message when you're done."

He nodded and thanked her. She gave him a smirk and left. She sighed and left her purse on the bed before going downstairs. _God, he was making her soft._

* * *

><p>Jeremy felt nervous in calling Tyler. Not just because of the risk of getting caught by Jenna, but what Tyler decided he would do now.<p>

The older boy picked up four rings later. "Did you like the phone?"

His mouth twitched into a smile. "Yeah, it's awesome, thank you. Though it didn't have to be an Iphone."

"Well I wasn't going to let you use one of those cheap track phones."

He was about to argue that he didn't mind but he decided against it and just go down to business. He paused when he heard voices fading in and out from the background. "Where are you?"

"Downtown; not ready to go back home just yet."

He swallowed. "Listen, Katherine told me about tonight."

No reply.

"Tyler?"

"Yeah, I heard you."

"Well have you told Mason yet?"

"No."

"Do you plan to?"

"Not sure yet."

He was getting annoyed with his curt answers. "If you do, he better not try anything. She _will _hurt him and I'm sure you don't want Matt to suffer either."

Tyler let out a deep sigh. "Jeremy, Mason knows about Katherine already."

A cold feeling swept over him. "You lied?"

"I _mean_ that he suspected something was up even before tonight. But we can see that he hasn't decided to do anything about it." He growled.

The dread eased somewhat with that. "Just keep him away."

He hung up with that, feeling upset that Tyler didn't even try to reassure him about the situation. He glanced down at his cell when it began to ring. Tyler. He simply tapped the 'ignore' button and went over to his old cell that was still plugged into the charger on his night stand. He placed in all his contacts in quickly to his new phone, having to push away another two calls from Tyler before he was done.

He felt guilty that he had to act like a jerk after he had bought him a three hundred dollar phone but he wasn't the one that acted like one first. He then called Matt.

"Hello?" The blonde's voice asked.

"Matt, its Jeremy. I got a new phone." He replied, not feeling up to explaining the real story at the moment.

"Hey, Jere, nice to hear from you."

"Same here. Are you busy?"

"Umm…a little. I'm about to pay for my groceries so is it alright if I call you back in a bit?—God, what are you five? You can talk to him too but we gotta do this first!—Sorry, I'll call you back in ten, man."

He snorted, smiling. "Sure. Bye."

"Bye."

He tapped the end button and saw he had a text message from no other than Tyler. He sighed and pressed the button to read it.

_I'm sorry. Please don't be like that._

He ignored it for a second as he texted Katherine that he was done before replying to Tyler:

**Goodnight. **

The guilt didn't leave but he had to let Tyler know his family was important to him too and he would do anything to protect them.

_Don't make me come over. _

He stared at the message, not sure if it was a threat or a warning.

**Don't bother, you're not invited tonight. **

He left the phone on his bed as he changed into a pair his sweat pants, leaving on his hoodie and heading downstairs to grab something to eat.

He grabbed some honey nut cheerios and went out into the back yard just as Matt's call came in.

"Hey." He said with a mouthful of cheerios.

Matt chuckled. "You eating?"

"Yup."

"Hold on Vicky wants to talk to you."

"Hey, Jere!" Vicky's voice came on.

"Hey, Vicky, what's new?"

"Nothing much. We just finished packing the stuff into the car. We're on our way home. What are you doing?"

"Sitting outside with my cheerios."

"Aren't you cold?"

"I can handle it." He half lied.

"Crazy ass." She said, giggling. "How's Tyler?"

"Uhh…alright, I'm sure. He's probably home right now since we're both grounded."

"You are? What did you do?" she asked, extremely interested.

"Jenna caught me with Tyler at his house when I was supposed to be at school last Thursday."

"Oh…wow I bet that was _very_ awkward!"

"No she didn't catch us doing anything like that. We were eating in the kitchen when Jenna came over."

"How did she know you were there?"

"Katherine." He mumbled.

She laughed. "Bet you hate her so much for that."

"Kind of."

"Stop looking at me that way!" he heard her say to Matt. "Sorry, Jer, Mattie gets a little possessive of his phone since he knows that I know that there are dirty messages on here…"

"Thanks, Vic, now I'm sure now he can go on with his life." He heard Matt say.

Vicky laughed again. "Alright, Jer, thank you so much for talking to me and being an awesome friend and being patient—

"Don't think I'm not Jeremy, it's just that there some people don't know the meaning of privacy and minding their own business!"

He couldn't stop smiling in amusement as he continued to hear the two fight as he ate his cereal.

"Well excuse me for trying to make conversation with one of the only two people I actually have as friends!"

"It just embarrasses me that Jeremy would do those kinds of things about me!"

"Oh yeah cause I'm sure he thinks you and Mason are just holding each other's hands while you snuggle in front of the T.V.!"

"This is what I mean about not minding your own business…"

He lost his smile when he heard someone whisper his name. Someone male…someone who sounds awfully like Tyler Lockwood...

He closed his eyes and said, "Matt, something came up. I'll call you later."

Before the blonde could reply, he ended the call. He then glanced up to see the older boy leaning against the iron railing, his intense stare seeming to burn holes into his skin.

"I told you not to come tonight."

The werewolf shrugged.

He rolled his eyes and stood up, an almost empty bowl in hand. "I'm not playing this game right now."

He was about to open the door when his hand was grabbed from behind.

"Wait. Please." Tyler whispered.

He didn't turn around. If he did, he would probably give in and forgive the guy. When Tyler understood he wasn't going to look at him, he continued, as he now stood right behind him, the werewolf's warm breath close to his ear "I know why you're angry with me right now. How can I make it better?"

He suppressed a shiver. "I love my family and I will do anything for them. If Mason tries anything…"

"I'll talk to him about it. If he doesn't like what he hears, then I'll do something about it. I know you'd try to get in the middle but…I wouldn't let anything to happen to you."

He closed his eyes, swearing mentally to himself when he felt himself slowly losing. _Damn him. _

He felt Tyler hold his hand, giving it a soft squeeze. "And I'm sorry for acting like an asshole on the phone. I guess… I was just trying to protect my family too."

_Damn him! _

The temptation to turn around and kiss him was a challenge that was becoming hard to ignore.

"Please say something at least."

_Damn… _He turned around and kissed him deeply. It must have lasted only a second before he turned away again and went back inside, cheeks flushes as his heat pumped rapidly against his chest.

* * *

><p>A slick layer or perspiration covered Mason's chest as he pumped his cock to the sound of Matt's ragged breath on the phone.<p>

"I want to ride your ass so hard, baby." He heard his mate whisper.

He closed his eyes as the rush of pleasure swept over him like a warm breeze; the blonde sliding his cock into his ass, the sound of balls slapping against flesh filling the air or maybe Matt riding his cock while he jerked him off, their lips hungrily fighting the other's.

The images sent the tension straight to his groin, making his balls tight up against his ass.

"Mason…" his mate moaned breathlessly as he came.

He didn't take long to follow the younger boy, his hips jerking off the bed as he came up and onto his hand. "Fuck, Matt!"

They stayed on the phone as they came down from their glow, listening to each other gain back their breath.

"I love you." Matt whispered, and the phone went dead.

* * *

><p>Note: Reviews are like hugs! :D<p> 


	41. So fucking awkward

First Time for Everything

Chapter 41

Thank you to "onecouldn'tsee" for giving me permission in letting me use the idea on Matt/Mason phone sex last chapter. I originally got inspired by a similar scene in her story "Once is Never Enough". Though I completely forgot to give her a shout for it so I'm very sorry again, Amber!

Enormous thank you to my beta reader, "Simbawriter82" for continuing to help make the story a 10 out of 10!

Thank you to "The Wonderful Mistique" for giving me her wonderful idea on the Stefan/Jeremy scene! Classic! ;D

* * *

><p>Fucking Monday. One more day, he could survive one more day, right? He's survived months without Jeremy now so he can live another day. Kyle drummed his pencil back and forth on his Algebra textbook. He left his lunch sack unopened in front of him as he sat - alone as always - at the cafeteria table, wanting to look good for Brent that night, knowing -or at least hoping- he would finally get some action. He even went to Walgreens on Friday to buy an acne scrub to help with his acne. He didn't have much but the cleaner, the better. He needed to look <em>perfect<em>!

He practically squealed like a school girl when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

_One more day. _

**One more fucking day. **_**So you said you knew Blue Martini well enough, right?**_

_For the third time, yes. I've been there a couple of times. _

**Sorry. I'm just nervous. **

_You don't trust me? _

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. **I do. **

_Look the club is two stories. It's pretty huge but as long as you stick with me NOTHING WILL HAPPEN._

**FINE!**

_So how's your day been so far? lol_

He stuffed his lunch back into his backpack and slipped it over his shoulder. He picked up his book, heading for the exit. Talking with Brent made him feel happy. Happier…than…no-he couldn't compare his best friend to Brent. He's known Jeremy since elementary, and felt like the older brother he never had. Brent was…a guy who he's known for only a few weeks and would end up having sex at least once. Brent did not feel like a brother but…like a boyfriend. A secret one, anyway. He doubted Brent was shouting about him from the roof tops at his school but he hoped, at least, Brent and he could properly date for a while.

* * *

><p>Daniel stood in front of his bathroom mirror in his sweat pants. His muscles were sore as hell thanks to another practice push over with Tanner. But what hurt most was the fact that Steven had betrayed him, turned on him when he was only trying to help. If it wasn't for him, the asshole would have had his head torn off by Klaus. <em>Klaus…<em>His heart sped up.

He frowned, wincing slightly when he touched the bruise on his neck. It had been a challenge to avoid his parents, knowing they would freak out when the hand prints are almost obvious. He didn't know what the hell he would say when his time ran out.

He sighed and opened the door, jerking in surprise when he saw Klaus examining his room with a raised eyebrow.

"Defiantly a guy's room." He commented, not looking at him.

He lied. "I was gonna get to it."

The vampire then looked at him, smirking. "I'm sure."

They stood, staring at each other in silence. Klaus suddenly cocked his head to the side and began to advance on him. On instinct, Daniel backed away; also afraid he would get hurt again.

In a second he was found pinned against his bathroom, the blonde staring down at him with curiosity. _I'm gonna die. _He began to shake at the thought.

"Shhh…" the vampire crooned, reaching out and caressing his cheek. He flinched, closing his eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you, Daniel."

His eyes snapped open at this. He searched the man's face, not finding anything that he should be nervous about.

His eyes widened when Klaus leaned in and kissed him softly. It lasted only a second before the blonde pulled away, analyzing his reaction. His cheeks burned, tension almost all gone as he felt certain parts of him harden with interest.

They made out quietly in the bathroom for a couple of minutes, tongues and fingertips caressing the other. He let out a whine of protest when felt Klaus pull away. He tensed again when he opened his eyes to see the older man gazing down at the wound on his neck. He watched as he bit into his wrist before offering it to him.

He hesitated, knowing the taste of blood tasted like nasty shit. Klaus got impatient and pressed it closer to his mouth.

"Do it. _Now._"

He opened his mouth and gave the blood a testing lick. _Whoa. _It was like tasting a hot fudge sundae. He immediately began to suck deeply until the vampire pulled his hand away. He then felt strange, almost how one felt when he's high but only better. Klaus ran his thumb over his lip and sucked the excess blood into his mouth.

"You're welcome."

With that, he was gone.

* * *

><p>"Something wrong, Mattie?" his sister asked as she drove them towards school Monday morning. He pressed his hands close to the heat that flowed from the small vents in front of him, shaking lightly from the cold air outside.<p>

"No. Why?"

She shrugged. "You've been quiet all morning."

"I'm tired." He protested.

She threw her hands up off the wheel briefly in defeat. "Fine."

He needed to talk to Jeremy about Sunday. Something felt…wrong. Something happened that he couldn't explain but could feel in the pit of his stomach when he woke up that morning. He couldn't tell Mason because he didn't want him to worry and go protective over something that he could probably just be overthinking. He glanced at the time on the dashboard: 6:42. School would start for almost half an hour. He reached down and pulled out his cellphone from his pocket, sending Jeremy a message to meet him inside the gym before school started. As they pulled into the parking lot, Jeremy replied his agreement.

A couple of minutes later, he arrived inside the gym, looking for Jeremy. He spotted the brunette sitting on the bleachers. The boy glanced over at him and smiled when he saw him. He was slightly surprised to find he felt nothing anymore for him but as one of the family. A brother.

He made his way over and sat next to Jeremy who pulled his earphones off.

"So what's up?" he asked.

He glanced briefly in the direction of the locker rooms before shifting in the boy's direction.

"I want to look like I'm overthinking this but I can't get this feeling off my chest. I was hoping maybe if I talked to someone about it, I'd relax if you tell me I'm just being paranoid."

Jeremy frowned, concerned. "What is it?"

He frowned as well, as if a sudden solution would suddenly pop into his head. "I was working on Sunday. Nothing out of the ordinary going on. Then Steven and his friends show up."

"That doesn't sound good."

"They sat down and I got their order…and this is where the weird thing happens."

Jeremy shifted towards him further now, curious.

"It's like…I blacked out of something. One moment I was taking their orders and the next…Steven is halfway out the door, following a guy I've never seen before."

Jeremy's eyes widened. "You blacked out? Suddenly?"

"Not in the sense where I fell down to the floor. I was still standing when I came back to my senses. The question is what the hell happened to the whole time where the guy came in and Steven stood up?"

Jeremy looked as confused. "That's weird. Did your vision go black or something?"

He shook his head. "That's the problem. It's like if that whole time didn't exist. Like I stepped into the twilight zone or something."

"The whole situation must have been more than fifteen seconds if the guy came in. Unless the stranger came in running for some reason, but it's still a considerable amount of time."

"So I'm not just paranoid."

"No." he paused and suddenly looked hesitant. "I would tell you to go to the doctor…but then what if he gives you medicine that could affect your day in a bad way? Like it makes you dizzy or something. I think you should hold off until we see if this 'time skip' situation happens again, alright?"

He couldn't help but smile at the thought of Jeremy still worrying about him. That and impressed that his friend could think ahead. "Sure. I'll hold off."

"But you feel fine now, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." He paused and swallowed, remembering his last night confession. He had been a little hurt that the guy hadn't contacted him in the morning but trying to convince himself that the werewolf was just surprised and didn't know what to say. Inside, he knew that it sounded stupid. Mason was surprised, he had no doubt about it, but the idiot had confessed it to him first, hopefully meaning it.

Jeremy almost seemed to read his mind. "Did you remember something else?"

He hesitated, unsure if he should talk about his personal life with Mason. But then he preferred Jeremy than Tyler for this stuff. He felt Jeremy wouldn't judge him as much. "I told Mason I loved him last night."

Jeremy surprised him by nodding, no sign of amusement on his face. "Was it during sex?"

He didn't feel as awkward as he should. "No, though it was during an intimate moment…on the phone."

Still no sign of amusement. "Did you mean it?"

"Yes." No hesitation there.

"Then why are you nervous about it?"

"Cause Mason didn't call or text this morning."

Jeremy reached out and gripped his shoulder reassuringly. "He'll come around."

He nodded and glanced down at his watch, noticing they only had a few minutes before first period.

"We should get going." He commented.

"But really, don't worry about it."

He stood up, smirking. "Men, right?"

Their laughter echoed through the gym.

* * *

><p>Katherine found herself standing in the library. She knew she only stepped inside this part of the school when she truly needed to for research. She gave some freshman girl with glasses a 'what the fuck are you looking at?' look, making the girl quickly focus back on her books, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment and maybe even a little fear. She felt bad about it after and she rolled her eyes, walking over to where the petite nerdy girl was sitting.<p>

"Sorry; bad day. Like your bow tie, though." She said sincerely, eying the girl's white with red flowered hair accessory.

The girl looked back at her, surprised and a little happy that she had gotten a compliment from a senior. With a small, quick, pat on the girl's small shoulder, she headed off towards the row of books. _I hate you so much sometimes, Jeremy. _

She had been half scanning a chemistry book when someone wrapped their arms around her from behind, making her jump in surprise. Familiar cologne then filled her nose, making her roll her eyes.

"Could have just said hi." She said, sounding monotone and pretending to go back to reading her book.

"Where would be the fun in that?" he teased lightly.

When she made no reaction to his so called affection, he sighed heavily and released her, walking over to her right and watching her face. "You know it's not that I don't want to be with you."

"For all I know, you could be pretending to be mad for no reason because you found some other girl." She replied with 'a matter of fact' tone.

His mouth dropped open halfway in shock. "How could you think that about me?"

_I don't. I'm just being…a bitch. _She groaned softly and closed her eyes, closing the book in her hands. Neither of them said anything.

"Fine, I'll leave you alone." He mumbled.

She reached out and grabbed his hand.

How ironic; her, Katherine Pierce, was begging for someone not to leave her.

Stefan paused at this. All this time they've been together, she hasn't given him real affection. Most of the time, they've mostly screwed when they got the chance and or planning when they get together so they could screw. She was the bad guy here, not him.

Slowly, Stefan responded, giving her hand a soft squeeze. "I'm sorry."

"No." she protested quietly. "I'm... sorry for being such a stubborn bitch."

He snorted, turning her around to kiss her. "You're not a bitch."

She smiled halfway, lowering her gaze as the memory of her father driving off, never to be seen again, floated into her mind. Her mother, leaving her alone with a nanny, as she went out with her new boyfriend of the week or went shopping, waving to her and spilling the usual empty lie about how she loved her 'baby'. "I just don't want you to leave too."

She felt tears in her eyes, startling herself. _Me? Crying? _Stefan must have noticed her mood as he then pulled her into a soft but passionate kiss.

When he pulled back, a tear managed to slide down her face. Stefan wiped it away, tucking her ear behind one ear. "I love you, babe. I just have a lot of homework sometimes but it doesn't mean…"

She pressed a finger to his lips, nodding in understanding, before she smiled and leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

><p>"<em>Tyler—Tyler stop—I told you three times that I forgive you! Tyler, let me have some air!" Jeremy whined between kisses. <em>

_Tyler chuckled and let him take a break as he__ panted and attempted to glare at him with a flushed face._

"_Can we go to lunch now?" he asked, glancing uneasily at the classroom door. _

_He mocked a bow and watched Jeremy roll his eyes before stepping in the direction of the door. He stepped forward, teasing to continue where they started as Jeremy made a quick bolt and opened the door to step into the safety of the hallway. _

Jeremy smiled to himself at the memory as he stared blankly at the board where his math teacher was supposedly was teaching a lesson that we would use later in life. His mind wandered back when he talked to Matt about his weird experience on Sunday. But what he was most intrigued about was that he blonde had confessed to Mason. He didn't have it in his heart to be skeptic about it. _Was it really love?_ He knew he was very attracted towards Tyler after the night they had jerked each other off on his bed. _Is it really love or…__are the wolves the reason Matt and him __are wanted in the first place? _Something hurt inside him at the thought but he quickly shook if off.

After his usual lesson, they got a good half hour to start on their homework. Jeremy managed to finish his only minutes before the bell rang but at least he wouldn't have to deal with it when he got home later.

During lunch, after he managed to escape Tyler's 'torture' on him, he brought up a hard question that had formed in his mind before he got to school. He imagined Tyler must have thought about it at least once even though he's never hinted at it so far. Once he brought it up, the werewolf immediately turned serious. Though he still managed to see the worry in his eyes even if he didn't show it. He had simply told him to meet him in the locker room after the team had left before turning around and leaving him standing in the middle of the hallway.

"Hey."

He glanced at Anna, who he had, and could admit to himself, forgotten existed and smiled. "Hey. What's up?"

"There are no words to say how sorry I am for just disappearing from you. I wanted to come and see you but my mother got sick and I'm the only family she has so…"

He waved it off reassuringly. "You don't have to apologize. Honestly, I've been busy myself with things of my own."

She smiled, clearly relieved to see he wasn't bothered. "So how about I make it up to you and we go study together at your house?"

He winced, glancing at the doorway.

She took the hint. "Oh are you meeting Matt?"

"No…I'm meeting someone else, actually. But how about we do it tomorrow? We do have that test on Thursday."

"Deal. So see you tomorrow then."

"Bye. I hope your mom feels better."

"She is, thanks for asking. See ya, Jeremy."

He waited a minute or so she could leave. He glanced at his teacher to see him smirking at him. He raised an eyebrow at the older man questionably.

"She likes you."

He chuckled. "I can imagine but I don't feel that way for her."

"Are you with someone right now?"

He hesitated.

He suddenly looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry for budding into your personal business."

"It's fine. I am with someone right now, to answer your question."

He nodded, still looking apologetic. It didn't surprise him that the teachers know about what he and Matt once had. They must continue to think they were hiding their relationship from the public too.

"I should get going. Have a nice day Mr. Bernard."

"Same to you."

Once outside, he reached inside his pocket and pulled out his cellphone, checking for any text messages from Tyler.

None.

He saw it had been seven minutes since the last bell had rung. He wondered if the team had left already. He texted Tyler to be sure. When he received no answer ten minutes later, he frowned and decided to go investigate what was going on. _Tyler wouldn't just bail out, would he? _Few minutes later, he arrived at the locker room door. He glanced around for a second before reaching out and pulling open the door slowly and enough for him to peek inside.

When he heard nothing, he opened the door carefully and stepped inside. He wrinkled his nose when the smell of sweat filled his nose. He tried to ignore it as he walked quietly between a row of lockers, listening for any noise. Then he heard it, the sound of bare feet smacking against the sound. He froze, afraid it wasn't Tyler and the person would come this way and ask him what he was doing there. He knew he wouldn't be able to come up with a good, logical excuse and would put unwanted attention on Matt again.

A few seconds later, the sound of running water broke the silence. He relaxed slightly with that, knowing the person would be distracted and would be able to escape easily. _But what if it was Tyler? _His cheeks suddenly heated at the thought of Tyler naked and wet under the spray of warm water, waiting for him to unknowingly come and have sex. _In the locker room? Where anyone can come in and see the show? _Convinced it was Tyler, he moved towards the sound of the running water, butterflies in his belly as he moved closer.

He saw the shower rooms around the corner. He stood right in front of it, now able to see the figure.

"Tyler, what…"

Oh.

A very naked _Stefan _was showering in one of the stalls, his front exposed to his eyes. To make matters worse, they betrayed him, traveling down right to his…

"Jeremy!" Stefan called, eyes wide with shock.

"Oh my god!" he cried out in total embarrassment. He covered his eyes and backed away, his shoulder hitting a metal locker. "I thought you were Tyler!"

_Probably shouldn't have said that. _

"You were looking for Tyler?" Stefan asked, sounding embarrassed himself.

He heard the door opening from somewhere in the room, followed by Tyler's demanding voice. "What's going on?"

In an instant, the embarrassment was replaced by fear and panic. But not for himself, but for Stefan. _What if he decides to attack Stefan? What if he kills him? _

Not caring if Stefan was still naked, he uncovered his eyed and spotted Tyler just as he appeared around the corner. The raven haired boy glanced at him first then at Stefan who was already in his towel and turning off the water.

"I thought—you told me—and I saw him!" was all he could gasp out, Stefan's safety still gripping him hard by the heart. If Stefan dies, Katherine comes after Tyler, momentarily forgetting that if the werewolf hits the bucket, he follows.

It was probably one the longest five seconds of his life.

Then Tyler broke out laughing.

He mouth dropped open, not expecting the reaction at all. The fear was still with him, he was wondering if it could simply be a trick. But seconds passed and Tyler could barely contain himself. He glanced at Stefan who seemed less embarrassed now and was trying not to laugh.

Once all the shock was gone from his system was able to see Stefan was not in any danger, he glared at Tyler. "Mind shutting up?"

"Sorry…can't believe you saw Stefan in his full glory!" Tyler said, more in control.

"Sorry, Stefan." He called before he turned around and began to leave.

"Hold up!" Tyler called. "I've still got to change!"

He ignored the older boy as he finally got out of there moments later, grateful to be breaking in fresh air again.

_So fucking awkward. _And here he thought the first penis he would ever see in real life was Tyler's. Funny how life worked.

He decided he would wait for Tyler outside. On the way, he received a text him Katherine asking where he was.

**I'm not done with Tyler. Go on without me. Tyler will take me home. **

_Is that code name to cover for you? _

**Please. **

_I'll tell Jenna you had something to do for art class. I won't guarantee results._

**I know. Thanks. **

_Mmhm. Be careful. _

He pushed the door open and stepped outside. He saw a couple sitting on a bench and talking. He then remembered Kyle. How he suddenly urged to be able to talk to him about what was going on. He looked at his phone and looked through his contacts until he found his best friend, his finger ghosting over the 'call' button.

"Jeremy." Tyler called behind him.

He placed the phone back in his pocket. "Why were you late?"

"I'm sorry for laughing." He replied, still sounding slightly amused. "I couldn't help it. And coach made my run laps for talking back to him."

He smirked. "Nice." He paused and added, "I thought you were going to hurt Stefan."

Tyler stepped beside him, watching his face. "Why should I? By the look on your face, you didn't seem to enjoy it."

He decided to tease him a bit. He shrugged, putting on his best calm expression. Tyler narrowed his eyes, all amusement gone now.

He snorted, smiling. "Kidding. Let's go."

"Now _that _was not funny."

* * *

><p>Klaus leaned against the human male's car as he watched him walk over from the school.<p>

"Can I help you?" he asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Actually, I was hoping you would help me with something…Stefan."

* * *

><p>Tyler managed to convince Jeremy for a make out session in the back seat of his car. He had quickly asserted his dominance, pinning his mate down on the seat as he attacked his lips, gently biting and suckling on them until they were swollen. Jeremy's hands had been on his hips until they moved down and touched his growing erection through his jeans, making him groan in pleasure. He hesitated at the thought of putting another man's penis in his mouth, even if the man was his mate.<p>

Jeremy stopped moving his hand and pulled away, frowning at the sudden tension. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No." he panted. "I just..."

He didn't know how to put it, not wanting to hurt the boy's feelings and sound like a pussy.

Jeremy stared up at him, his hand still on his bulge. Something crossed the boy's face and gave him a gentle squeeze. It still managed to create the friction he needed, making him close his eyes and drawing in a sharp intake of breath.

"Let me." the brunette then whispered, making a move to sit up and push him down backwards in the small space they had. He hesitated again for a brief moment, hearing his wolf growl lowly inside him, but realizing the wolf liked what Jeremy wanted to do to him.

He slowly lay back down as he supported himself on his elbows and leaning against the door, their eyes not leaving the other. He watched with excitement as Jeremy unbuttoned his jeans, exposing his boxers underneath. He noticed his mate pause, a look of nervousness lightly reflecting in his expression as he looked back and forth between his boxers and his eyes.

"You don't have to do this." He almost forced out.

His mate simply shook his head in protest before slowly reaching inside his boxers and pulling out his cock. He let his head dip back halfway when he felt the boy's warm hand on his dick. He jerked his head back down when he felt a soft breath on his organ. Jeremy looked up at him through his lashes, almost silently waiting for him to focus back on him as his lips were only centimeters away from their destination. A cellphone rang from somewhere in the car but he could care less at the moment and thankfully Jeremy could too.

He let out a loud moan when Jeremy finally took him into his mouth, sucking lightly at the head. "Fuck!"

A moment later he got the courage he needed to slowly take him nearly all the way down, bobbing his head lightly.

A steady mantra of moans and grunts filled the air as each lick and suckle got him closer to his orgasm. He ached his hips into the boy's mouth who didn't seem to mind at all. He tried to warn him as he felt himself getting close to the edge but Jeremy ignored him, only looking up at him with an amused look in his eye.

Seconds later, he came. Hard. Tiny purple spots filled his vision as he came down from his afterglow. He tried to focus as he felt Jeremy pull away. His eyes widened when he saw the boy licking alongside Tyler's shaft with a grin on his face and his cum on his shirt.

He crocked a finger at him and slid down to lay on his back. Jeremy unbuckled and pushed his jeans and boxers down to his knees. He then crawled on to of him, causing their dicks to touch. He watched, fascinated, as Jeremy's eyes closed, his mouth dropping open slightly as he bared his neck.

He reached out and held his mate in place before Jeremy began to move both their hips together in a careful rhythm. Tyler grabbed the back of Jeremy's neck and brought it to his lips. Jeremy let out deep, slow breaths with each thrust, fingers digging into his sides. "So good…"

He almost felt like he was floating in midair. So much pleasure from their trapped cocks was making any rational thought fuzzy. They were the only two that existed in that moment.

Their thrusts started to become rougher, more desperate as they sought their release. He pulled back to stare at the forming hickey on his Jeremy. The boy lowered his gaze to meet his eyes in a half lidded gaze.

"Almost there." He panted.

He bit his lip hard, drawing blood as he preferred to hear Jeremy let out a cry of pleasure as he came between their bellies, his body going slack as he rode out the last drop. They stayed together as they caught their breath. An annoying, insisting ringing was suddenly heard again. He swore lowly when he recognized it wasn't his phone.

"It's okay." He heard Jeremy mumble into his skin, sleepily lying in the crook of Tyler's neck and licking the skin with the tip of his tongue.

He didn't want to move either but he didn't want to get Jeremy in more trouble.

"Come on, I have to drop you off before your aunt calls the cops on me for thinking I've kidnapped you."

"I wouldn't mind."

He smirked and gently pushed Jeremy into a sitting position who opened his eyes and pouted at him. The look was enough to get his dick interested…again. _No, I have to get Jeremy home. _If his damn dick would just shut up.

* * *

><p>Jeremy was disappointed he had to leave Tyler. He could have spent a very nice nap with Tyler and then probably then go for round two—<em>but nooo<em>—he had to go back to his boring room alone to do homework.

A couple of minutes later, Tyler parked his car in front of his aunt's house.

"You know she's gonna ask who gave you a ride home." Tyler commented.

"I'll just tell her Stefan did."

Tyler cleared his throat, nodding towards his house. _Shit. _He closed his eyes for a second before he glanced at the living room window, where Jenna was standing in a 'oh, just wait 'til you get in here' hands on hip, motherly looking position. Katherine was standing next to her, looking like she was the one who had been caught in the car with the one guy that she was supposed to stay from.

"I guess I'll see you in March." He mumbled, turning away.

"Maybe if I go talk to her…"

"No. I'll handle it. I'll tell her the truth if I have to."

"Truth?" the werewolf asked, suspiciously.

"Not _that _truth. I'll text you later…if I don't get it taken away. Bye."

"Jeremy!" Tyler called, firmly but he was already shutting the door and jogging towards the house.

_3…2…1…_

Door closes. Jenna without a word but her expression tells all.

"Can I explain?" he asks, eyes briefly glancing at Katherine who couldn't look at him directly in the eye.

"Get him off my property first." She said, her eyes never leaving him.

He wanted to protest but decided to keep quiet. He sighed and pulled out his cellphone, texting Tyler that he was wanted off the property.

After a short moment, they all heard the sound of gravel being crushed as Tyler backed away and left a minute later.

"Go to your room please, Katherine." Jenna then said.

Katherine obviously looked like she wanted to protest but she nodded when Jenna narrowed her eyes at her. She gave him a sincere apologetic look as she passed him before heading up the stairs.

"Come to the living room with me."

He followed silently, hoping his punishment at least wouldn't be upgraded dramatically.

Jenna sat in the one-person recliner chair, leaving him the long sofa. She picked up a diet coke he guessed she had been drinking earlier and looked back at him.

"Tell me the truth, Jere, have you and Tyler been together while you were with Matt?"

"No!" he protested immediately. "I would never do something like that to anyone!"

She motioned for him to calm down. "How about sex?"

"I'm still a virgin."

She nodded. "How long after did you get together with Tyler after the breakup?"

"Not too long."

She took a long swallow and tapped the side of the can a few times thoughtfully with a fingernail. "What I don't understand is how you two can suddenly be practically stuck at the hip. Why are you telling you cousin to lie for you so you can go sneak around with him? You do remember he is legally an adult now, right?"

"That doesn't matter."

She laughed in disbelief. "Well, it's not like you're in love with him, Jere! You don't know him and you're way too young for those things!"

"I know." He replied, not knowing which part he was agreeing on.

Jenna scoffed, signaling she still didn't understand the situation. "I'm lost then."

He nibbled on the inside of his lip for a second before he answered, "I'm attracted to him."

When she didn't say anything, he lifted his gaze to see her tracing the top of the metal can with a finger, a disapproving expression on her face. "So you're not lying to me when you told me you two have not had sex yet."

He blushed, looking out the window behind his aunt. "We've done things but not sex." He paused and changed the subject. "Are you going to tell my mom?"

"And give her a heart attack? Of course not. As for your punishment, I'm deciding not to add anything on it on one condition."

_Of course. _"I cannot promise I won't see Tyler again."

"Jeremy, the only thing you're going to get from what you're doing is a disease."

"That will be my decision then."

Her mouth dropped open. "You can't be serious? You're willing to risk your life for sex?"

He didn't reply. She would never understand what was going on.

Jenna threw her arms in the air in disbelief. "I was once in high school, Jeremy. I know that you're growing and your hormones are screaming to you, but you have to think with your mind! Think about your mom and the pain you'll put her through if you get sick!"

"I do think of her, Jenna. I think about her every day."

Jenna stared at him, surprised he wasn't stepping back. She then sighed and rubbed at her eyes. When she placed her hand back down, they stared at each other for a long time. Her face softened slightly but still kept the disproving frown on her face. "Would it be too much to ask to at least stop the sex?"

"Yes…maybe…I don't know." He mumbled.

She rested her elbow on the arm seat while she rested the side of her face on her palm as she continued to stare at him. "I have a feeling adding more to your punishment isn't going to help cause if I did, you'd just find a way to sneak in some time with him."

No reply.

She rolled her eyes. "If I see your grades drop or see you using any type of drugs, I'll put a tracking device on you and put a restraining order on Tyler Lockwood, is that clear?"

_Holy shit. _Her eyes told him she would do it. He simply nodded.

She nodded, taking the last swallow of diet coke before placing the empty can back on the wooden table. "Changing the subject now, I told your cousin when she got home that I decided to start working in the nursing home on the other side of town as a part time job three times a week for a few hours. Also I was thinking of going back to college to continue my nurse degree two times a week. Take two classes a semester, maybe."

"I didn't know you want to be a nurse." He said, intrigued.

"I am, kind of. I need about another two years before I can finally get my Master's."

"I think if working and going back to school is what you want, then go for it."

She raised an eyebrow with a knowing smile on her face. "Why? So Tyler can come over when I'm gone?"

"No…"

She rolled her eyes. "I called the Grand Living nursing home this morning and they told me that they were hiring. They asked me a few questions and told me that I might be able to qualify but they needed to see my resume. So I'll be going to see them on Wednesday. As for college, I have to sign up for the spring semester in January if I want to start a normal 16-week class."

"Are you sure you can take all of that work every week?"

"Well, hopefully I can start working early so I can see how much work they give me. If I decide it is too much at the same time, I'll drop the nursing home and continue my classes."

They talked about it a while longer when Jenna turned the table back on him.

"So since you'll be…hanging out with Tyler Lockwood now, I would like to get to know him better. Why don't you bring him over for dinner this week when he's not busy doing athlete stuff?"

"Are you serious?"

"I won't embarrass you much, I promise." She stood up. "We're having pizza for dinner today."

After dinner, he thanked Jenna and washed the dishes before excusing himself to his room to go start homework. Once inside, he closed the door and out took out his Iphone. He texted Tyler:

**Thanks for doing as I said. **

While he waited for the werewolf's reply, he next texted Kyle to see what he was up to.

**Hey, it's Jeremy. This is my new number. **

It must have only taken seconds before he got a reply from the younger boy.

_JEREMY WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN MAN? YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT'S HAPPENED! _

He smiled. **Easy on the caps. Sorry I haven't called or anything, my mom had to cancel our cellphone service. **

_I actually went to go visit her yesterday. She hugged me so hard I swear heard my back crack LOL It was nice to see her. So what one do you have now? _

**Iphone 4s. **

_No, really._

**Really. **

_HOW THE FUCKING FUCK DID YOU GET AN IPHONE? _

**I've also had a few things going on. **

_You at home? Wanna Skype?_

**Sure. I'll see you in a moment. **

_Cool._

As his laptop loaded, he finally received a text back from Tyler.

_I didn't want you to get in more trouble. _

**By the way, Jenna told me she wanted you for dinner sometime this week. Not in a bad boy…I think. **

He waited to see what Tyler would say next as he typed in his password.

His laptop had done uploading and he checked into his Skype, logging in and waiting for Kyle to invite him to chat.

He placed his phone next to him on his desk, as Kyle's invite appeared a minute later.

He agreed and placed on half smile as his best friend appeared on the half darkened screen.

"So where did you get that Iphone? Did you steal it?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course not, idiot." He sighed. "I broke up with Matt a while ago."

Kyle's face turned sympathetic. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "We're still friends and all."

After a moment of silence, the other brunette's mouth rounded in amused realization. "And you found another guy right?"

"Yes."

"Tell me everything, man! Don't hold back!"

_I wish I didn't have to. _Suddenly his phone began to vibrate on the desk. He quickly reached over and grabbed it, ignoring the feeling of being such a girl.

_No problem just as long as I come out alive. Coach is making us work out later cause we have a game next Tuesday but I can go for this Friday or Saturday. Whatever work for you guys. _

"Who is your new boyfriend?" Kyle asked, eager to know the whole story on Tyler.

"Yeah, it's him. Hold on a sec."

**I'll get back to you on that. **

He placed the phone on his lap, focusing back on his best friend.

"So tell me!" he yelled, almost jumping up and down in his seat like a kid.

"His name is Tyler Lockwood. He's Matt's best friend and we've been together for a couple of days now."

"Is he hotter than Matt?"

He paused at this, thinking. "For me, he is."

"Does he play football too?"

"Yeah; defense."

"Nice, man! You're getting all the football players after your ass!"

He blushed, smirking. "Not exactly. But anyway, what did you want to tell me?"

"Wait, wait, wait! Did your new boyfriend get you that phone?" Kyle asked, shocked.

"Yeah."

"How in the world can he afford a phone like that for you? Do you have any idea of the monthly bills he's going to be paying every month?"

He sighed, knowing the boy was going to have a field day over this. "He's rich. He's the mayor's son."

* * *

><p>Tyler texted his uncle inside his room after managing to half lie his way out of his late arrival and four missed calls.<p>

**Can we meet after your shift? **

_Is it an emergency?_

**I'm sure Matt's ass can wait. **

_Not funny. Fine, I'll meet you at my house. The key is under the fake rock. _

**Nice. **

_Whatever. _

Tyler looked down at his watch and saw he had two hours before Mason left the office. He did his homework so he wouldn't get shit from his old man and went downstairs, surprised and thankful no one stopped him.

He found the spare key where his uncle had indicated. Not long later, he heard a familiar set of wheels pull up on the driveway. He lowered the volume on the T.V. and turned to the older man who set his stuff down besides the door.

"What's up?"

"I'm horny all the time."

Mason rolled his eyes. "You came to tell me that?"

"Fuck you; I came because I know I can talk to you about this stuff."

Mason rose his hands in mock defense before he walked over and sat down next to him.

He wrinkled his nose at the smell of sweat. "You stink."

"Well I was coming to take a shower, but you want to talk right now, so deal with it."

He growled, annoyed.

"Okay, so you're horny all the time now. It's natural, especially when you have your mate."

"You feel it too?"

His uncle gave him a 'what do you think' look.

He hesitated now, remembering the encounter with Katherine not long ago and the argument he had with Jeremy. He held back, feeling the girl wasn't a threat. She wouldn't harm them on purpose, knowing two other lives were very linked to theirs.

"Wow, that was serious all you had to say?" his uncle asked.

He glared at him. "No. I also wanted to talk about my first time with Jeremy."

"What about it?"

"New moon is two weeks away which will be perfect because of Christmas break. And since we are going to be together for the rest of all lives, I thought it would suck if we just did it like if it was just another hormone-driven night. So I was thinking during the drive here…"

Mason shifted towards him, interested.

"…that Jeremy and I should leave town for a couple of days."

Mason sighed. "Good luck with that."

His eyes widened at the man's reply. "What?"

"You forgot about Jenna."

"I didn't. Jeremy told me that his aunt wanted to invite me over for dinner this week. I could use that time to show him how responsible and mature I can be."

Mason raised an eyebrow at this.

He scoffed. "It's not like you're a fucking saint either."

The older werewolf smirked, still silent.

He got impatient. "So what should I do?"

His uncle stood up and walked to the kitchen. "If you want it to be a vacation too, I recommend at least where there's a beach. It won't be as cold there during December. Want anything?"

"No, thanks." He mumbled, thinking what the older man had told him.

"If you want a suggestion, Hawaii."

He nodded. "I'll check out what other places they have. I prefer somewhere it can be more reserved."

"Suit yourself."

They stayed in silence while Mason got himself some microwaved pizza before coming back to the couch. He let his uncle be in peace until the man broke it while he was halfway done. "Matt told me he loved me."

He jerked away from the screen, shocked. "He did? When did he text you that?"

"He actually told me over the phone last night."

Pause. "What did you say?"

"He hung up on me before I could say anything."

"Weird."

"So now that I think about it, thanks for stalling me cause I was planning to go see Matt, which he will probably be expecting for me to bring it up or something."

"Do you love him?" he wondered, thinking about Jeremy.

His uncle didn't say anything for a long time. He frowned at him, suddenly feeling angry that he saw his best friend as some kind of fuck buddy.

His expression didn't bother the man as he finally replied. "I don't know. I know I want him and I would protect him with my life but…that could be anything else, right?"

He didn't reply, wondering about his situation with Jeremy. _Was the boy just a possession? Was it all just about the sex? _

The silence was longer this time; being broken this time by the vibration from Mason's cellphone.

"It's him." his uncle said without doubt.

"I should go anyway. I don't want to press my luck with my parents. Good luck."

"I'll need it."

* * *

><p>Mason took a shower before leaving towards The Grill to see his mate. He felt as he if he was going to war, where a single wrong step could mess him up. He had enough time to think about what he was going to say, yet, not nearly enough. Matt could have said the words cause of the moment and hung up quickly because he got embarrassed. That had to be it. <em>But what if it wasn't? <em>Then he was screwed.

He parked his car and walked into the restaurant. He held back a wince as the strong smell of grease filled his nose. He immediately forgot about it when he found his mate behind—_the bar?_ Shaking away his surprise, he walked as confidently as he could towards the bar, ignoring the usual curious eyes on him as he even heard a low whistle.

"What a surprise." He said, putting on a smirk as he sat down in the stool in front of the blonde as he was wiping off the counter.

Matt smiled with a shrug. "The manager trusts me. He said it would be good for me to break out of my usual waiter shift."

He smirked. "So do I get something on the house today?"

"Me." he replied lowly.

"I meant on the drinks."

"Oh so alcohol is more important than me?"

He tensed, not wanting to say the wrong thing. He must have shown something on his face cause then Matt motioned for him to calm down. "I was kidding. What do you want?"

"Vodka with ice and lemon on the side, please."

"Coming right up, _sir._"

He snorted as he watched the young teen go serve his drink.

"Hun." He heard a female voice call to Matt. He glanced over to see a red haired woman around her late twenties hold up a cup, swaying the glass back and forth to motion she wanted another. The woman was pretty hot but wore too much make up on her face.

"Be right there, ma'am." His mate answered.

He was about to turn away when he caught sight of the female turn to him and give him a flirty smile.

He turned away, a little surprised even after everything's that happening, that he didn't feel the slightest desire to even to go talk to her. All the attention, and his wolf's, was all on Matt. The teen came over with his drink and slice of lemon.

"Enjoy—oh."

The last part was a whisper. Almost like if he had said it to himself. He was about to ask what was wrong when his senses picked up someone walked over and sat down in the seat next to him.

"Still waiting on my drink, blondie." The red haired woman told his mate almost irritably, placing the empty cup down with a firm thud onto the wooden counter before focusing back on him. "Hello, I'm Emerald."

He tried not to sigh at her hard try to charm him with her seductive voice. He kept his eyes on Matt's face which churned with obvious jealousy. It must have lasted two seconds before he regained himself and snatched the cup before going to serve more.

"Handsome?" the female asked, craning her neck to look better into his face.

He finally turned to her, ready to tell her to get lost, when she placed a hand on his thigh.

She smiled at him, already looking like she won the lottery as she scanned him over again, her eyes lingering on his dick. "I was just passing through here."

"Good for you." he replied, monotone. Matt then came back, his eyes narrowing hard at the woman's hand on his thigh. He turned to him, clearing telling him to get the bitch out of there before going off to continue working.

"You're not married?" the girl asked.

"No." he replied, taking her hand off.

He took his shot and suckled on the lemon for a moment, feeling the slight burn of the alcohol down his throat.

The red head didn't quite. She placed her hand closer to his privates. "Would you like to get out of here?"

* * *

><p>The slut was getting on his last nerve. He kept watch out of the corner of his eye at Mason, analyzing his expression to see if he had any interest in the girl. Triumphantly, he didn't see any. If anything, Mason looked annoyed.<p>

"Would you like to get of here?" he heard the bitch ask. That was the last straw for him. He growled and placed the cup and towel down onto the counter before walking over to her and leaned forward. "I think you should leave, _ma'am_."

She turned her head to him, shocked at his statement. "Excuse you?"

"Get out of I'll report you for harassment."

Her mouth dropped open, eyeing him before turning to Mason to see if, for any reason, he would object for her. When the werewolf didn't even turn to look at her, she frowned and huffed. "Your loss, fucking losers!"

"You keep thinking that." He mumbled as she stood up and walked off, her purse tucked under her arm as she noticeably wobbled her way out. Then his anger turned to concern. She may have been trying to steal his man but she was still drunk.

"We should stop her." It wasn't a question.

Mason huffed in disbelief. "Now you're worried about her? She wasn't even drunk yet."

_The woman did only have one drink but still…_

He frowned and turned away, staring down at the werewolf's empty cup.

"No more for you. You're driving after too."

Mason looked like he wanted to protest but he just grabbed the cup the woman had left behind and walked away.

* * *

><p>If the world would have been a cartoon, Kyle's mouth would have dropped to the floor as he stared at him in utter shock. "The. Mayor's. Son?"<p>

He nodded.

"Holy shit dude keep him as long as you can! He can buy you all the things you want!"

"I don't think they give him all he wants easily. At least his father wouldn't. From what I've heard, the guy's a total douche bag to his own son."

"Weird, it's usually the same old story about how the rich son or daughter are left alone because their parents are off spending their riches too, making the kids like complete cocky assholes." He laughed.

"From what I heard, Tyler was one of them. At some point he was probably left alone too but now the mother is really sick and don't think can travel as much anymore."

"Is she nice?"

"She is to Tyler. I didn't get to talk to her but I'm sure she won't when Tyler tells them…" he trailed off, freezing.

"When Tyler tells them about you." Kyle finished for him.

He nodded, swallowing.

"Not trying to pop your bubble or anything, but what makes you think he'll even tell them?"

_Because he's stuck with me for the rest of his life and at some point his parents will ask about why he isn't dating. _"I just know, okay? Tell me about you now. You said I wasn't going to believe something. What is it?"

Kyle stared at him seriously for a moment before he sighed, a smile returning back onto his face. "A guy invited me to a party tomorrow night?"

It was his turn for his mouth to drop open. "Whoa!"

"Don't be so surprised!" he teased.

"Where did you meet him? How did you meet him?"

"His name is Brent and he goes to the University but right now he's like on vacation or something, I don't know, but we meet at my last detention a few weeks ago. Though we didn't talk exactly until I got dragged to the mall by my mom and Gabriela. He was very quick by the way too! He told me I was sexy and then invited me to a party outside of town!"

"How old is he, again?" he asked, feeling worried for his best friend.

"He looks like he's around 24. Why?"

"Nothing just…be careful cause you don't know what might happen over there. How far is it from Spring Hills?"

"About two hours."

"Holy shit, man. Maybe you should…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't you dare say what I know you're about to say!"

"I was just saying that maybe you should wait until you get to know him better."

"And what? Make him think I'm a boring loser like everyone else does at school? I've never been invited to _anything_ by _anyone _before, Jeremy! People have asked you but you decided to turn them down every time but that was _your_ decision. I want to go to this party and neither you nor anybody else can stop me!"

"Have you stopped to think for a second that they're not even going to let you in? Jesus, Kyle, the guy wants to get in your pants! You don't even know him!"

For a second, Kyle thought about this. Then he closed his eyes and shook his head, a deep frown on his face. "I'm going, Jere. I'm sorry. I'll talk to you later."

"Wait!"

Kyle ignored him, ending the call and signing off seconds later. He found himself staring at the computer screen. It felt like hours before he moved again. He narrowed his eyes down at his phone as it vibrated to signal a new text message. For some reason, he had no urge to talk to anyone. He stood up and walked over to his bed, sitting down at the edge and running his fingers over his face. Suddenly a rush of fury ran through his body. It felt dark and dangerous but also… felt so good. He felt powerful and free and wanted nothing more than to hear Tyler Lockwood beg for him to ride his ass and fill him with his cum. The image of a naked Tyler on all fours, legs spread wide to reveal his hungry hole, made him lick his lips, his eyes closing as his cock hardened in his jeans. _Mine. All mine…_

"Jeremy?"

Katherine's voice brought snapped him out of his place. He gasped, almost feeling like if he had been caught. His cheeks burned with embarrassment when he saw his noticeable erection in his jeans. W_hat the fuck just happened? _

He eyed the shadow under his doorway, telling him his cousin was still waiting outside. He was about to answer, when he saw her walk away and head down the stairs.

_What if he had said something aloud? What if she heard? _His cheeks continued to burn with embarrassment, his mind whirling in confusion at his sudden fantasy only moments before. He glanced over at his phone, remembering he had gotten a text message. He looked at his door when he heard the front door open and close. Katherine must have gone out to meet up with Stefan. He decided to forget his odd behavior, thinking it was just some type of teenage hormone thing going on, before he grabbed his backpack to start his homework. Though something deep inside him wasn't convinced and he had to admit that Tyler really had a nice ass. He still remembered the dream he had of the two of them fucking in the middle of the football field surrounded by a big crowd. His cock strained against his jeans even harder and begged to be released. The image of Tyler on all fours in front of him and moaning and panting with each thrust of Jeremy, a fine sheen of sweat on his back, was just too good. Gosh how good it must feel to have that big ass wrapped around his dick.

* * *

><p>Matt didn't hear Mason stand up and follow him a moment later as he dumped the liquid down the sink and began to wash the cup.<p>

"When do you get off today?"

"Eight. Why?"

"I'll pick you up then. We need to talk about last night."

His eyes widened when he saw Mason pull out his wallet and put down a twenty. "Keep the change."

He was about to protest, knowing he had an English essay he wanted to start for Thursday. He decided against it as he watched Mason walk away for a moment before he went over and picked up the bill, putting the button to place it inside the register. He wondered what the older man would say tonight.

A few hours later, he waited for Mason outside, not minding the chilly weather after being so long in a cooped up restaurant that smelled like hot grease. Finally, he saw Mason's car pull up a few parking spaces away. He dug his hands deep into his jacket and walked towards the black ford. The window pulled down as he leaned down to peek at him.

"I can't leave my car here." he protested.

"I'll bring you back later."

He hesitated. He still had homework and hated leaving his sister unattended for so long.

Mason somehow understood his pause and gave him a reassuring nod. "It won't take long."

He sighed and nodded, opening the door and climbing inside.

"Where are we going?"

"The park."

He didn't remember the last time he spent time at the park during the night. He didn't remember when the last time coming to the park at all was. Must have been as a kid when his mother still had the decency of playing her role. He looked around the dim lit campus. The park looked gloomy and dangerous as they walked to the first bench near the car.

He glanced at the silent male next to him. Mason was staring straight ahead at nothing in particular, probably thinking of how to start off their conversation.

"I am willing to protect you with my life, help you when you need it." He started.

"But you don't love me." he finished for the older man.

He hid the disappointment he felt but told himself he needed to give _both _of them some time. He cared for Mason but he knew his feelings for the older man can still grow, though he did not regret saying admittance the night before.

"It's not that I don't want to. It's just…my parents never showed me how."

He nodded. "I understand."

The werewolf looked at him, confused.

"Our dad left Vicky and me four years after Vicky was born. When my mother then left next when I started my sophomore year with some guy named Pete. I haven't seen or heard from her since. So for all I know…" he paused, swallowing. "She could be on the other side of the world, having another family of her own. So I understand."

He couldn't help but feel amused at the awkwardness Mason is probably feeling right now. He could tell the werewolf needed time in learning how to express a sensitive love too.

"I seriously have to go home. My sister is waiting for me and I still have stuff to do." He said, standing up. He stopped when he felt a hand reach out and grab his arm carefully.

"But you're not mad?"

He snorted, rubbing at his tired face with a free hand. "No. You're good to go."

He could tell Mason was not convinced with how easily the whole conversation had been. The curled haired werewolf probably thought he just didn't want to admit he was upset. Something told him to just let there be a benefit of the doubt. Could probably speed things up quicker…but then that's not the way you learned to love someone. He was so confused now.

A couple of minutes later, Mason parked the car in front of the restaurant again. He turned to see the older man staring, an uneasy look still in his eyes.

"Goodnight, Mase."

"Goodnight, jelly bean."

_Oh god. _He tried not to laugh though he couldn't keep back a smile. He then leaned in to kiss him. Mason turned his head, ready to accept it but froze when his head was turned slightly to the side, the kiss planting on the warm cheek instead.

He got out without another word, heading quickly towards his car to get away from the cold.

At home, after convincing his sister to go to bed after a quick snack, he stayed up to look at the insurance bill that arrived. _257.89. Went up again this year. _He put the pros and cons of deciding not to have medical insurance. It's been a couple of weeks since Vicky got sick. Though she got stubborn, not want to go see the doctor. Thankfully they still had some medicine around the house to help. _So what now? Take the risk and not pay for it or…?_ He rolled his eyes. He couldn't ask Mason for money. Even if he did offer to help, it's still embarrassing and would just make him feel like he's taking advantage of the guy. But he needed to think about Vicky.

He sighed and placed the bill back into the envelope. It could wait for a few days until he thought about it. For now, homework would have to come first.

* * *

><p>Note: Reviews=hugs :3<p> 


	42. Kyle

First Time for Everything

Chapter 42

Miss Jeremy and Tyler so much on the show :/

toomuchtime: Jyler bible? that is so cool! Wouldn't that be amazing? Or even more amazing if any Jyler would be published for the world to see? More preferably on TV ;P Thank you very much for the compliments and your review!

A shout out to The Wonderful Mistique for her idea on adding in Katherine's background story! :) Thank you girl!

* * *

><p>Tyler was acting like a dick Tuesday morning after Jeremy had told him about his plans with Anna. He hadn't barked at Jeremy or anything, he had simply glared ahead the entire ride to school. Once the car was parked, he turned his own glare upon the werewolf.<p>

"What? You can't trust me now?"

Tyler mumbled something he couldn't make out.

"What?"

"I can't help it."

"We'll try. Anna is just my friend. My only friend I might add."

Tyler continued to glare out the windshield. "I'm sure your aunt would prefer if you dated her instead."

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "She can do it all she wants; I don't care. I don't feel that way for Anna."

No reply.

He rolled his eyes once more, looking out the windshield at the passing students for a moment. "I'm not going to stop talking to anybody outside Katherine, Vicky, and Matt just because you have jealousy issues. I trust you so it's only fair that I get the same thing from you."

Tyler's expression softened halfway with this. "I know. I'm…" he almost seemed to be choking the word out "…sorry."

This made him smirk now. "I'm guessing apologizing isn't your forte?"

The werewolf rolled his eyes. "I don't remember the last time I even apologized to anyone other than my mom."

"How is she doing?"

He turned to him, his anger completely gone. "There are some days when I think she's doing better."

"I hope she'll be travel again one day."

Tyler nodded slowly, searching his face curiously. "Me too."

After a moment, he shied away from the boy's gaze. "I should get going. I'll text you."

"Sure."

Jeremy got out of the car and adjusted his backpack on his shoulder before walking towards the building. When he took his seat inside his first class, he took out his cell phone, remembering Kyle. He had texted his best friend that morning but still hadn't gotten a reply. He frowned and tried again.

**What the fuck man? Should I not give a shit about you anymore? Is that what you want? **

He placed his phone back into his jacket pocket just as the teacher began his class moments later.

* * *

><p>Katherine had gotten inside the car in the morning, only to be practically ravaged by Stefan. When they arrived at school, he was extra nice to her; asking to carry her books and skipping football practice to go back to his house. She had been tempted to agree but she couldn't let him get in trouble with the coach but gladly accepted for him to carry her books to class.<p>

She partnered up with Vicky during another lab experiment in Chemistry. She felt herself already caring greatly for the girl as she was the only person besides Matt who didn't treat her like shit and talked behind her back.

"What's wrong?" she asked when she noticed Vicky's troubled expression.

"Nothing."

She raised an eyebrow at her. "We're playing that game now?"

The girl hesitated, looking at her. "I could tell Matt didn't have much sleep last night."

She had not seen the blonde jock that morning but she guessed Matt didn't sleep because one of two things: Mason or bills. Maybe both. "Did he tell you what happened?"

"Ladies, I'm sure whatever topic is it can wait 'til after class. Get back on track, please." Mrs. Hernandez protested as she passed them.

"Sorry." Both of them said in union. Katherine then gave Vicky a nod, telling her they'll continue after class.

A while later, they cleaned the test tubes and placed them to dry before packing up a couple minutes before the bell rang.

"So did he tell you why?" she asked.

"No. But I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the insurance bill that came in yesterday. Plus when I woke up a few times during the night, I saw the light in his room was still on."

She sighed. _That stupid bitch of a mother. Can't believe she would just leave him over some guy. _If one day she would have children, she would _never_ leave them behind, even if Stefan decided to leave for whatever reason. "I'm so sorry for what you guys are going through. If there's anything I can do…"

She raised her hand, pointing a finger at her in warning. _Don't you dare say it_, was the silent warning. When it came to financial help, the Donovans were quite the stubborn heads. Though she didn't blame them. If she was ever in their position, she would also be hesitant to borrow money, knowing it would just become another bill added on to their list.

"I'll tell Jeremy about it. I'm sure he'll cheer him up better than if I try."

Vicky smiled, grateful. "Thanks."

"What are friends for?"

* * *

><p>Steven glared at Daniel the entire class time. All his teachers—even the principle and coach- were compelled to use them as he pleased so he didn't worry. Though Alexander decided to stick his nose where it didn't belong as he sent a text message.<p>

_Dude, what's with the glare? _

**Fuck off.**

_You're such an ass. _

He didn't bother to reply to that; the useless human could think what he wants. Daniel was the one he was focused on. Klaus decided to get too close to his property and he didn't like that one fucking bit. There was the obvious part in healing Daniel's neck bruise: not wanting to draw unnecessary attention from family and the school body. What was the other? He didn't even want to consider something could be going on between them. Not that he liked the human _that _way. He was simply his property and should have at least given him a damn warning before healing him.

Daniel still hadn't forgotten his ways. By a simple look before school, the boy had known there was trouble that needed to be talked about as soon as possible.

When class finished a while later, he waited until the majority of the class left. So did Daniel. When he got up, so did Daniel. He shoved his stuff into his bag before he walked out of the class behind the human. Not to draw attention, he reached out and grabbed the younger boy's shoulder, stopping him. He drew him against the wall and gave the boy a fake sweet smile.

"If you even dare act stupid for a split second, I'm going to kill you this time."

Daniel's eyes widened as he glanced around.

"Keep your eyes on me." he said firmly.

"Look, he was in my room when I came out the shower…"

"How perfect timing."

"…He didn't tell me what he was going to do until he backed me up against the wall and kissed me."

"Aw, must have been such a horrible experience."

He ignored him. "He then bit into his wrist and insisted for me to drink."

He stared at him, waiting for him to continue but he didn't. "So he didn't fuck you?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I would have remembered."

"Of course you would have, little fucking tease. Let me tell you something; you are _my _property. I don't want anyone handling you without my permission." He hissed angrily.

"Your property?" Daniel asked in disbelief. "You don't own me! Don't think I'm stupid! I know you've been hanging out with Caroline."

He had such an urge to strangle the little shit again. He can feel people staring at them now, hoping to witness a fight.

"You are never to let anyone touch you except me. I own you. Don't you dare disobey me!"

He didn't want to compel him. He trusted the human enough since he was still was his best friend. His real problem was Klaus. He was going to have to pay the asshole a visit.

* * *

><p>"What's with the face?" Matt asked, sleep thick in his voice. Tyler turned to him and frowned when he noticed he was empty handed.<p>

"Where's your stuff?"

"I want to talk to coach. I'm not feeling up to practice today so I'm heading straight home with Vicky…and you didn't answer my question."

He shrugged. "It's not important. You should go see Tanner; you don't look so good."

The blonde wanted to insist, feeling it had something to do with Jeremy. But it was their business so he let it go. He gave Tyler a nod and left to go find Tanner in his office.

He knocked on the coaches' door.

"Come in!"

He opened the door and peeked his head in. "Sir?"

"What can I help you with, Donovan?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"I'm going to miss practice today, coach. Don't have the energy."

"I can see that. Well, if you feel that way then go but I don't expect for it to keep repeating. We have a game next Thursday."

He nodded, biting his tongue before a sarcastic comment left his mouth. "Yes, sir."

Tanner nodded and looked back down at this paperwork.

He backed up and closed the door, swearing under his breath about how the coach was such an asshole.

Moments later he was starting to head down the hall when he paused, noticing Jeremy was heading in his direction. The younger boy paused too and smiled.

"Hey." He greeted.

"What's up?"

"Katherine told me that Vicky told her that you were feeling like shit today."

He rolled his eyes, smirking. "Damn, and here I thought I wasn't making it obvious. You're not the first person to ask me about it, you know, but you're the only person I'm willing to talk to."

Jeremy walked the rest of the distance towards him to step beside him. The boy then made a hesitant glance behind him. He didn't need to follow the gaze to know what the boy was thinking.

"So what did he do now?" he asked.

"He's jealous about a friend I'm hanging out with today after school at my house." He paused, turning to him. "She's waiting for me at her car but I wanted to come by in person and tell you that, if you want, we could hang out tomorrow after school."

He smiled. "I'm up for it. But just to let you know now, it's nothing you can truly help with." He hesitated. "Just having some bill trouble again."

"I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Life sucks sometimes. But hey, don't let me put you down with my problems, go have fun with your friend."

Jeremy snorted. "We're actually just studying but we'll manage to survive."

They walked together until they had to separate their own ways. Jeremy made him feel good-in a brotherly way. Sometimes there were moments when he wondered what would have happened if things have turned out differently. Maybe if Jeremy would have given their relationship a chance and Mason would have never returned to town. What would have happened? Not that he would trade Mason for anyone but he couldn't help thinking about it, even if just for a moment.

* * *

><p>"Everything okay with Matt?" Anna asked as they sat in the kitchen table, eating chips that Jenna had set for them in a bowl, their math books and homework spread out in front of them.<p>

"Yeah, he's just having trouble with the bills."

She nodded. "Yeah since his mom left him a while ago, he's been the adult in his house. Though it must be hard when you're only seventeen. Do you know what he plans to do after he graduates?"

"Does this town have a college?"

She laughed. "No! The closest college would be at least an hour from here, maybe more."

He thought about this for a moment. _Sounds like Mason will have to help with that. _"Whatever he decides, I know he'll be fine."

She smiled at him. "You're the sweetest guy I've ever met. I'm glad you came to town. Even if it just for this year."

He bit the inside the bottom lip at that. The subject kept being brought up and he still hasn't thought of a solution. _What is mom going to think when she knows about Tyler? _He's never come out to her, afraid of rejection or disappointment. He was her only child, after all.

He glanced down at the phone on the table next to his notebook. Kyle had texted him back minutes later in his first class that day.

_No but this is the first time I've felt happy since you left. Please understand me. _

He did but there were more ways to meet other people who were around _his own _age. If the Brent guy was at least twenty four then risk of other dangerous intentions must automatically fill the guy's agenda. Especially with Kyle being so…innocent sometimes. Brent would be able to manipulate his best friend into doing anything. He had then sent him another message, begging Kyle not to go, to do it for him, for his family. He had gotten a simple "I'm sorry". He never answered him again after that.

"Jere? You still on earth?"

Anna broke into his thoughts. He turned to her and nodded. "Can you hold on for a moment? I need to make a call."

She looked at him funny for a moment before she nodded.

Jeremy stepped onto the porch in the backyard, closing the door behind him and pacing as he speed dialed Kyle's number. Surprisingly, the younger boy answered.

"What?"

"Don't make me call your mom, idiot. You know I will."

He let out a frustrated sigh. "Can't we make a deal or something?"

He frowned, stopping his nervous pacing. "Like kind of deal?"

"How about…if you let me go, I'll call you every hour."

He rolled his eyes. "You can't feed me that shit, man."

Kyle suddenly sounded desperate. "_Please!_ Then tell me what I can do so I can go tonight!"

His mouth dropped open in shock. "You never told me it was tonight! And on a fucking school night!"

"Easy, Jere, I forgot to tell you yesterday!"

He sat down in the chair in disbelief. "Even if I was to agree with your 'deal', if something were to happen to you, my conscious is going to haunt me for the rest of my life. Just fucking saying."

No reply.

Neither of them talked for a long moment. He glanced at the door where Anna was waiting inside.

He heard a sigh from Kyle. "So you're not letting me go at all?"

"How long are you going to stay there?"

"A while."

He rubbed at his temple, closing his eyes in thought. _If I don't let him go, he was going to hold it against me. _"I need you to swear to me that you'll call me every hour."

"Oh my god I will! I promise! But I don't know how good the reception will be, so don't have a heart attack if I can't get to you every hour. But I will call you when I'm on my way home too."

"…Fine."

"Also cause I'll probably get laid."

"That doesn't help you."

"Sorry."

"Just come back home safely please. And by that I mean don't get arrested if Brent gets drunk and drives you guys back."

"I know. I'll drive then."

He groaned inwardly. "Then don't get drunk or I'll punch you in the face when…" pause "I come back home."

"Fine, fine, fine! Thank you so much! I love you! You rock! You should be crowned king of the world and-

He shook his head. "I get it. Have fun…just be careful."

"Will do!"

"I have to go but call me first when you're on the way to your party. I'm guessing your mom doesn't know about it."

"Hehehe."

"Idiot. Bye."

He hoped that his mom would catch him before he managed to sneak out.

"Bye! Love you!"

He hung up and sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck tiredly. He got up and headed back inside.

"If you don't want to do math all you have to do is say so."

"Shut up."

* * *

><p>Later that night, Katherine decided to practice some of her spells in Jeremy's room after the kid did the dishes. She practiced floating both their cell phones on top of the bed and letting them rotate slowly in opposite directions. It was still a challenge, for she had to focus her attention on what she was doing but she knew with practice she'll be able to do it.<p>

She's been keeping both devices up in the air for ten minutes.

"How did you find out you were a witch?" She heard Jeremy suddenly ask.

She blinked and stopped mentally chanting the words in her head. Both cell phones fell onto the bed with a soft _plop_. "Huh?"

"How did you find out you were a witch? Did your mom tell you or something?"

She narrowed her eyes. Jeremy mistook her reaction and raised his hands in defense. "You don't have to tell me. I just wanted to get to know you better."

"I have no problem telling you but…I was just thinking about something. Did you know Stefan asked me about my past too?"

She watched his mouth drop open. "He knows?"

"I don't think so. He meant about my life in general but…there was this weird look in his eyes. I can't explain it but it was strange."

"What did you tell him?"

"About my useless mother and worthless father. My almost non-existent childhood. All the good stuff."

He gave her a sympathetic look.

Her expression softened. "You have no idea how lucky you are to have a mother who cares about you. Who calls you every week and wishes she can give you so much more."

He lowered his gaze.

"Nothing to be ashamed about. I would trade every single cent I have for a mother like yours. My mother was a useless bitch who had her only daughter—well, I'll never know if I am or not and I don't really care—raised by nannies until she was old enough to do most things by herself. My father left us when I was old enough to remember the last time I ever saw him drive off in his expensive car without a second glance at us. I was homeschooled until my freshman year of high school. It was alright; made some so-called bffs and shopped my anger and loneliness practically every day. Though I never had much sex until I met Stefan…believe it or not. Trust me, guys were throwing themselves at me. I made out with many guys though. When it came to push me into sex, I shut them down which only made rumors grow about me that I was actually a lesbian and only sleeping with guys because I was in the closet."

"Assholes."

"No kidding. To answer your questions, no one told me about it. I figured out on my own through the internet."

He frowned. "What?"

"Well not completely. It's not like I took the 'I am a witch?' quiz on Quizilla or something. It began on a normal day in middle school. And by now, the envious bitches were getting on my nerves. But this one skank just…" she groaned "made me snap!"

_Katherine was changing into her hideous P.E. uniform. She never really felt self-conscious about her body. She worked hard for it even though she was only thirteen. Her current nanny didn't support her, saying that her P.E. class was enough for someone her age. Katherine took this at heart. The nanny, Cristina, was a lean looking woman in her late thirties with a sweet smile and dark green eyes that she loved to look at. She may only have been working at her house for two months but she felt more connection to her than she had been with her previous nanny that had stayed around for two years. Maybe it was because she treated her like her own child. She one day asked why, and Cristina had told about how she would never be able to have any children. Well, she hoped Cristina would come to stay a very long time. _

_She broke out of her thoughts when she heard loud whispering at the end of the locker row. By now she had finished putting on her uniform and curiously glanced to see who was talking. It was Dorothy Watson. A fake blonde bully who wanted to out due her popular status. She was desperate at times; talking too loudly when there were cute boys around and wearing clothing that any average mother would have a heart attack over. But of course, South Point Middle School was a private school, meaning the parents were rich douchebags who spoiled their children with whatever they wanted. _

_She saw Dorothy eye her and her body for a moment, her pretty face pulled into a serious pout. She turned around with her usual air of arrogance and leaned over to the girl next to her and began to whisper something. The short brunette, Whitney Carlson looked at her and smirked before turning back towards Dorothy and giggling. Katherine glared at them before she turned around and placed her things inside her locker before shutting it, pulling her hair into a bun with a thick blue ribbon that matched the color of her uniform shirt. _

"Back then, I had a crush on this boy, Elliot Watson. Captain of the soccer team."

"Watson?" Jeremy asked slowly.

Katherine nodded bitterly. "Elliot was nothing like his wanna be of a sister. He was like Stefan. Dorothy figured out somehow that I liked him though people might have guessed by the way I looked at him.

_Katherine was walking out of the school bathroom when she froze, seeing Elliot heading her way down the hall. He saw her and smiled, coming to a stop as if he was about to tell her something._

"_You're Katherine Peirce, right?"_

"I felt like dancing on the roof just for him knowing my name. By now, quite a few girls were watching us. One of them being his retarded sister." She commented, sighing at the memory.

"Oh Stefan…" Jeremy drawled out, teasing, as if he was calling him. She rolled her eyes.

"Anyway…"

_She snapped out her daze and nodded, sticking out her hand and mentally slapping herself. Though Elliot didn't seem to find it nerdy or weird. Still smiling at her, he reached out and shook her hand. Her hand tingled at the contact. _

_He pulled his hand away. Though she noticed he lingered on her skin a moment longer. "There's going to be a party at my house on Saturday night. I'd be nice if you would come."_

"Please, I've heard that line before."

"Who's telling the story here?"

_Don't say something stupid, she chanted to herself. Before she could reply, Dorothy stepped in and faked a sweet smile at her. "Sorry, Katherine, daddy will be furious if we're late for dinner."_

"_I don't think he would mind…"_

"_Yes, he would. So let's go!" the blonde interrupted Elliot, pushing him hard down the hall. _

"_Think about it!" Elliot called to her before he disappeared around the corner. She was furious that Dorothy had taken him away before she could agree. Maybe he had been waiting to ask her out. But then she was more excited at the fact that Elliot, her crush since the third grade, had asked her to come to his party. _

"The only true friend I felt I had been Kelly Johnson. She was a short little rebel with red-colored hair and brown eyes. Though she always wore blue contact lenses. She wore pretty crazy styles but I loved her for it. I could tell she wasn't afraid of what people thought of her. Funny thing was she thought Elliot's 'sweet' gentlemenish personality was all a fake."

"Had been?"

She paused, lowering her gaze down at the bed. "I learned she killed herself a few years ago."

Silence filled the room for a long time until finally Jeremy broke it with a soft apology.

"She's in a better place. But I miss her."

_Kelly opened the door and gasped when she saw her crying. _

"_What's wrong?"_

"_I hate them, Kelly! I hate them all so much!" she had cried, latching onto her friend, her face buried into the girl's shirt. _

"_Calm down, Kat. Tell me what happened." She said firmly. _

_She looked at her, wiping at her eyes. "You were right, Key. Dorothy had something planned for me and Elliot is just like the other guys."_

_Kelly sighed and pulled her up to her room. Her house was silent, meaning her mom had gone out to probably spend another night drinking at one of her exclusive bars. _

_The red head pulled her onto her bed, her hands holding hers in comfort. _

"_Tell me what the bitch did."_

_She sniffled, continuing to wipe at her eyes. "She got a number of us to play seven minutes in heaven. We wrote down our names on a piece of paper and fold it so it can go into a black hat she was holding. I was the third to go and…oh my god, Elliot was pulled out after me! I was so happy, Key!"_

_Kelly nodded, her face serious. "He tried to have sex with you."_

"_Yes. He was first acting all shy then he asked permission to kiss me. Of course I said yes. Then his hands started to grab my butt and he got rough and wouldn't let me go! I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen! He told me to shut up and that I wanted this and he began to take off his clothes. At this point I began to yell for help. Then…" a sob broke out from her. "Dorothy opened the door, holding up her cell phone as she began to film us. Before I could say anything she began to accuse me of trying to take advantage of her brother and how much of a freak I was."_

_Kelly closed her eyes. "What did Elliot do?"_

"_He agreed with her. Getting out of the closet and pointing at me about how I suddenly got aggressive and how I was going to blackmail him if he didn't have sex with me…" she trailed off and began to cry again. _

_Kelly reached out and pulled her towards her in a hug. "Everything's alright, baby girl. I'll beat all those assholes up for you!"_

Katherine stood up and went to the window staring out towards in trees as she continued with her story. "The next day, Kelly punched Elliot in the face so hard she broke his nose. She didn't manage to get to Dorothy before the staff arrived to take her to the principal's office but Dorothy pretty much got told how she was going to die."

"I'm glad."

"When I saw…Dorothy beginning to laugh as my best friend was taken away. I…lost it. I felt this power stir within me. It scared me but made me feel good, powerful. Somehow right then, at that very moment, I lost my true innocence. I realized the world was cruel, had no mercy. So you know what they say: can't beat em', join em'."

"What did you do?" Jeremy asked in wonder.

"I set her car on fire. It was like something took over me and made me do it. But it felt so good to take revenge...even though I'm glad now that it wouldn't have been worth it to do something more evil like set her on fire instead."

"Guys? Are you hungry?" Jenna called from downstairs.

Katherine glanced at him questionably. Jeremy shook his head. She then went over and opened the door. "No, thanks."

"What are you guys doing up there? It's been a while since I even heard a peep out of you two."

"Bonding time, Aunt Jenna. That's all."

Pause. "Alright."

Katherine closed the door again and stretched, groaning softly.

"Tired?"

"Kind of."

His cell phone vibrated. He reached out and saw it was Tyler.

_What are you up to?_

"Alright to make the rest of the cheerful story short, I'll just give you the most important details so you can get back to your man."

He blushed.

She went to her purse and pulled out a Snickers bar, offering him.

"I'm good, thanks."

She opened the chocolate and took a bite out of it. She sighed in pleasure and savored it. He smirked. "Didn't think you were into candy."

"You calling me anorexic?"

"No, I just thought girls were picky when it comes to what they eat or they feel fat."

She waved a finger back and forth in a 'no no' motion. "I'm not like other girls." He heard her mumble, "Thank god. Anyway, I kept the secret to myself. It had been scary as hell but it to have done that to my enemy felt…fabulous."

"Don't blame you."

"Things continued to happen from then to different people who provoked me. Yes, people did look my way but they couldn't be for sure since I did not psychically touch either one of my…victims. I knew this all couldn't be magic. I hurt people and, well fairies or whatever, didn't do that. I went to my mom to talk to her about it one day while she was getting fancied up in her room."

She paused and walked over to him and sat on the edge of the bed. "I swear, Jeremy, her eyes widened and her mouth opened but no sound came out. As if…"

"She knew what you were talking about."

She nodded.

He sat up. "So she helped you?"

Katherine rolled her eyes, looking at the door for a second before she fell back down on the sheets. "You're funny. No, she recovered from her shock and told me to stop making up stuff before she told me to go play outside."

"Wow…"

"She was quite the cold hearted bitch. That was the last time I ever tried to talk to her about my problems. Though I managed to convince her to move schools. Now I didn't figure out I was a witch until way later. I would say I slowly put the pieces together while using a little bit of logic too. Though I would say I really understand myself better now than before you came to town. But during the time my control slipped and did all those things, I was scared. I didn't know if I was a good person or not anymore, but I tried to convince myself I was good because I only did things to people who began shit first."

"I don't think you're evil."

"How do you know I'm not evil?" Katherine teased, smirking.

"Because you miss Kelly. People with no heart don't just forget about the ones you love. I'm sure…even after all your mom has done, you still love her and that you wish you could see your dad one more time."

Katherine studied him for a moment. "You miss your dad."

"Always. I wished things would have turned out differently."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

><p>Klaus watched Mason Lockwood's mate as he served him another cup of whiskey. "Thanks."<p>

Blue eyes looked at him hesitantly as he quickly drank it down.

"I'll have another one after this."

"This is your third cup, sir."

He smiled. "I'm not driving tonight."

The blonde turned his eyes towards the vampire briefly before he shrugged. "Coming right up."

He glanced when he heard the chime of the door. He smirked when he saw Stefan Salvatore looking around for him. The brunette finally spotted him, making his face turn grim.

"Your whiskey, sir." He heard Matt tell him. With a quick smile he stood up and placed down two Benjamins before he stood up and walked off towards the other human.

* * *

><p>Matt's mouth dropped open when he saw the other hundred was meant for him. He was about to protest the man stood up and walked off, his friend following behind silently after giving him a curt nod. He was about to go cash in when he stopped, frowning at the scene. Both men had stopped to talk to Stefan who said something seriously in return before the three of them walked out.<p>

_Who were those two guys? _He felt a strange sensation in his stomach. Stefan for some reason came inside, almost as if he had planned to meet up with the two strangers. Though his teammate did not look happy to see them. Something was definitely wrong.

* * *

><p>Stefan didn't look up as they walked into the woods. At some point, he stopped a few steps behind Klaus when the blonde turned around. He didn't know who they were but he had a feeling, they weren't…human.<p>

"What did you want to talk about, Stef? Is your job too much to handle?"

He licked his lips, his hands clenching into fists inside his jacket pockets. "I don't like it. I don't like what you're making me do."

"Awww, well if you truly feel that way, then I suggest working harder to get it over with."

"I love her! I won't do it!"

Klaus lost his amusement. Stefan glanced at the silent man besides the blonde who was simply staring at him, his expression unreadable. He gasped in surprise when he was suddenly in Klaus' grip, his green eyes filled with determination.

"You will not ruin this for me, Salvatore. You will do whatever it takes to get what I want."

The familiar force was pulling on him again. He tried hard to resist but it was too strong. Then it left as quickly as it came. "Whatever…it takes…sir."

Klaus released him and his usual smile then returned. "You are not to tell anyone about this. Now go."

He nodded and did as he was told. Inside, he was in a panic.

* * *

><p>Kyle was sitting under the house tree in the dark, the sound of a dog barking coming from somewhere down the road. He checked his phone for the thousandth time, feeling nervous that Brent would cancel or leave him behind. <em>7:53. <em>He was late. He sighed and glanced up to his house, making sure the coast was still clear. All the lights were out, with the exception of the faint glow behind the curtains coming from the television in his mom's room. He had clearly told her that he was going to sleep and that he didn't want to be bothered during the night so he could have enough sleep for 'his huge math test tomorrow'. _Funny._ He jerked slightly in surprise when his phone lit up. He glanced down and smiled like a mad man.

**I'm here. **

Carefully, he raced down the lawn and down the sidewalk. A few minutes later, he turned the corner and saw a black Toyota. The lights flickered on and off once, signaling it was indeed Brent. He smirked and jogged over to the car, opening the passenger door and climbing inside.

He had chosen his outfit carefully for that night: a simply short sleeved black t-shirt and a brand new pair of jeans his mom got for him a few days before. He kept it nice and wrinkle free for this night. He wore his black hooded zip up jacket on top, figuring it would be cold before they headed inside the club. He finished it all off with his 'Aqua de…' something cologne, wanting to make himself smell good for…when _the _time came.

He glanced at Brent who was smirking at him. He felt his heart skip when he saw the older boy give him a slow once over. "Ready?"

"Duh."

Brent chuckled and turned on the car. "Don't forget your seatbelt."

The ride was surprisingly silent. Though not in a bad way. They both knew the real fun would begin once they arrived at New Port Richey. The city held a nice beach with palm trees. He wondered if Brent would be taking him there sometime during their trip.

"Do you mind if I check in with a friend real quick?" he asked. Brent shook his head, motioning for him to go for it.

He called Jeremy who failed to answer. He called again and nothing. _I called twice. Can't say I broke my promise, Jere. _He rolled his eyes and called a third time just in case but just ended up going to voicemail. He hung up and placed his phone away.

"Everything okay?" Brent asked.

He sent Brent a half smile and nodded. He looked away and out the window, remembering his best friend's hesitancy for him to go the day before. He mentally prayed that Jeremy was wrong and that everything would turn out great tonight.

Being the total non-idiot that he was, he realized fell asleep sometime during the ride when he felt Brent shake him awake gently.

"We're here."

He sat up quickly, looking around. The first thing he saw was the beach. They had parked the car in a parking lot near it, the waters sparkling in the moonlight.

He turned away when he heard Brent's cell phone beep once. He watched curiously as Brent looked down at the screen and smirk before looking at him. "Let's go then."

It was _fucking_ cold in New Port Richey. He failed to try to stop shivering as the wind blew over them even with his jacket. _I take it back. I hope Brent doesn't take me to the beach today._ His eyes widened when he felt Brent wrap his arms around him. He mentally did a happy dance.

A while later, the sound of music was pounding through the walls of a white building. A long line of eager costumers were waiting their turn as two bold guards were standing on each side of the door, one of them holding a clipboard.

"Please don't tell me we're waiting in line." He begged, turning wide eyes on the older boy.

Brent simply smiled and pushed him along with him to stand in front of the two guards. They both looked down at them with narrowed, analyzing eyes.

"Brent Richard Morris." Brent said to the guard who held the clipboard. The man looked through, what he guessed, was a VIP list. _Brent was VIP? _After a moment, the guard looked down at him.

"He's with me." Brent explained.

The guard stared him for a moment, seeing into his soul, before he returned his gaze back to Brent. "He's your responsibility, sir."

Brent nodded as if he's heard the same warning before.

The guard nodded to the other one, letting him know they were allowed to enter. His heart began to quicken, adrenaline running high as they went through the door and into the source of the pounding music. _Holy shit the guy was VIP!_

The Blue Martini was something out a Hollywood movie. A huge group of people were dancing together on one spot below while an enormous bar that could hold at least fifty people with different varieties of bottles that filled the shelf behind the bartenders. The place was mostly dim with the expectation of the light blue light coloring coming from the bar and the lights swirling and flashing around the walls of the building. 'I Like the Way you Move' by Bodyrockers filled the atmosphere. His smile couldn't get any bigger. _It's just the two of us. _The second floor they were at also held quite a few people dancing and laughing.

He felt Brent take his hand and signaled downstairs with a smile before pulling him along and through the people that were dancing. He jerked in surprise when he felt someone touch his ass. He didn't dare look back at who it was, his cheeks burning. _Brave up, will you?_

They went down a flight of stairs.

"Want something to drink first?" Brent asked in his ear. He swallowed in excitement at their closeness. He remembered telling Jeremy he wasn't going to drink and shook his head.

"No, thanks! Someone has to drive us back home in the morning!"

"Just one then!"

He hesitated. He was afraid Brent would think he was boring if he refused. _And he did say just one…_

He nodded in agreement.

Brent smiled and pulled him towards the bar. They sat down and a bald bartender that looked in mid-fifties approached them. "What will it be?"

"Two vodka shots, please!"

"I need to see your ID, sir!" the old man told him.

Brent pulled out his wallet and showed his man the I.D and handed the man a fifty dollar bill. The bald man looked down at it and then at Brent for a few seconds before he nodded. "Coming right up, sir!"

Brent placed his wallet away as he turned to look at him. He broke out laughing . "Wow, what are you a celebrity or something and forgot to tell me?"

The red head gave him an innocent smile. "What do you mean?"

"First you were on the VIP list, then you pull out this big bill and hand it to the guy to prevent me from showing my ID! What's your secret?"

"Nothing! I told you I've been here a few times! The bartender knows me! But tell me, what do you think of this place so far?"

He smirked and glanced around. "Beyond awesome!"

He felt his cell began to ring in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was Jeremy calling him. He rolled his eyes and ignored the call. He texted:

**I called you three times on my way over here. I can't pick up right now. Wouldn't be able to hear you anyway. Everything is fine though. I'll call when I get out of the club. Don't have a heart attack on me. **

"Who is it?" Brent asked, curious.

"My best friend, Jeremy! He knows where I am tonight and he's worried about me but I told him not to!"

_I'll try not to, dead man walking. _

He snorted to himself and placed the phone away just as the bartender came back with four drinks. _Four? Didn't Brent say two?_ Brent thanked the older man and took one of the cups, carefully reaching over for him to take.

He smiled and took his and waited until the red head took his.

"Here's to a night we'll never forget!" Brent said, raising his cup in the air.

He mimicked him, carefully touching the other's cup with his. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

He closed his eyes and took a small swallow of the liquid. His eyes widened and began to cough as he felt a burn in his throat. Brent laughed and reached over, patting him on the back.

"Don't die on me!"

After a moment, he got himself under control he eyed the rest of the drink with a little distaste.

"It gets better each time, I promise! Drink it!"

He sighed and took in the rest of the drink, this time the burn was not as bad as before. This time, it only made him cough a few times.

"Want the other one?" Brent asked. He winced, "I think I should stick with one!"

He blew out a puff of air through his mouth, the room feeling hot. He took off his jacket.

"Oh come on! It's just one night! Don't forget that I've done this before! Trust me!"

The vodka had probably gone to his brain; the temptation to go for another one was good.

"…Fine." He said, grabbing the other one and swallowing the entire shot down at once. The burn was barely there.

He eyed Brent who next swallowed his second shot and sighed, content.

"_Buenas noches, caballeros_!" someone suddenly greeted in a Spanish accent, stepping next to Brent and—to his utter, complete, shocking shock—kissing him with confidence. He felt his mouth drop open, his eyes ping ponging between the two boys, wondering what the hell was going on.

"What took you so long?" Brent asked the stranger with a smile.

"I had to take care of a few things for work!"

Brent then turned to him and said, "Kyle, this is my boyfriend, Luis!"

_Oh sweet Jesus…_

His heart clenched in his chest; Brent had a boyfriend who decided not to tell him about until now. _But WHY?_ Jeremy had been right all along. Brent was just using him. The panic must have shown on his face as Luis asked him if he was okay.

Brent understood and reached out to grab a hold of his hand. Surprising himself, he jerked away, staring accusingly at Brent. He tore his gaze away from the older boy to stare at the boyfriend.

_Whoa. _The guy was just as gorgeous as Brent was. Though the guy looked more exotic. Under the dim light, he could tell Luis had a white skin tone but his accent told him he was from somewhere in Latin America. From what else he could tell, the boy had dark eyes and wore a thin looking white shirt underneath a blue and white stripped button up shirt with white knee shorts and tennis shoes. His dark hair was cut short with a longer fluff at the top of his head, a smile on his face.

"Kyle, don't be angry! This was actually the surprise I told you about!" He heard Brent say.

_Surprise? Bringing your unknown boyfriend so I can feel like a third wheel was my surprise? Are you fucking kidding me? _

He turned a glare on the red head and stood up silently, heading for the exit as he tried not to cry in humiliation. But before he could even take two steps, two arms wrapped around him from behind, warm lips pressing right next to his ear. He shivered as he felt strong hips against his ass.

"I swear to you that I never meant to hurt you. Please hear me out. If you still want to leave afterwards, I'll take you home." Brent said seriously.

So many emotions were swirling in his belly. He didn't know what to think now. Part of him had the urge to push Brent away and demand him to take him home. Another…well, wanted to give in to the guy's request. _What to do? What to do? _Jeremy would obviously leave if he was in his shoes.

The arms didn't loosen as small beads of sweat already clung to the back of his shirt. He swallowed. From behind them he swore he heard Luis protest something, making Brent free his arm only long enough to swap at the guy to shut up.

"Please." the red head insisted. He jumped slightly in surprise when a soft kiss was placed on his shoulder.

"Fine!" he yelled, jerking him his grip. Brent let him go as he turned to face him, panting deeply as the air began to get warmer. "Talk!"

* * *

><p>"So when do I get to see your drawings?" Jeremy asked Tyler over the phone.<p>

"I wanna take to you somewhere for our first time." He heard Tyler suddenly blurt out on the phone.

His eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about it. If we are going to be together for the rest of our lives then…we should remember our first time as something special."

He didn't know what to say to that. He didn't actually believe Tyler cared enough to want to do something like this. He's actually been wondering why the werewolf kept avoiding going all the way.

Tyler took his silence the wrong way. "It's lame—I'm sorry."

"It's not! I like idea! I just didn't expect for you to say something like that. But where would we go?"

"You pick."

He smiled. "Really?"

"Mmhm."

He lost his smile. "Tyler, I don't have the type of money to…"

Pause. "Don't worry. I'll be my Christmas gift to you."

He frowned. "Christmas gift?"

Another pause. "I was also thinking about doing it for a few days during our winter break."

He glanced at the door. "But what about Jenna and your parents?"

Longer pause. "I'll handle it."

_I hope so. _"Okay. And if for any reason, we can't. We can just do it here, I don't mind."

He snorted. "Are you kidding?"

He smirked, rolling his eyes. "Okay, maybe not here, but it's not like we have to leave the state or anything for it to be special."

"I want it to be so you just pick the place and trust the rest to me. I'll show you my drawings there, if you show me yours."

He sighed. "Fine."

Fourth pause. "Cool. So I have to get going but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah…bye."

"Bye."

_Wonder how long the awkward goodbyes will last. _He sighed and looked back down at his phone, thinking about Kyle. _Please be okay._

* * *

><p>Kyle stared at Brent in shock, his eyes ping ponging again between the two boys. <em>Threesome? As in all three of us having sex at the same time? <em>The three of them had gone back outside so they wouldn't have to yell over the pounding music. Luis had not said a word the entire time but kept a surprising casual expression on his face, evidently telling him he wouldn't mind Brent's plan.

"You're insane." He finally replied, mentally slapping himself for not sounding as confident as he felt. Images of sweaty, moaning bodies were filling his mind, making his dick stir in his jeans. _Thanks for your support. _

Brent and Luis glanced at each other. Luis gave his boyfriend a shrug.

"No offense, but you're probably not going to get another chance like this." Brent commented.

This offended him. He glared at the read head and told him to take him home.

"Look, I'm sorry for saying that but we really would like you to join us in this." Brent protested.

* * *

><p>After Matt's shift was over, he climbed into his truck and called Stefan.<p>

To his surprise, the guy actually answered three rings later.

"What's up?" he answered, sounding out of it.

"Um…hey, I just wanted to see how you were."

Pause. "Why?"

"Cause you're part of the team."

"Yeah, but it's not like we hang out or anything."

_Okay, no more Mr. nice guy. _"Who were those two guys that you left with?"

Long pause. For a second, he thought Stefan might have hung up but then he heard a frustrated sigh on the other end. "It's none of your business, Matt. I'm sorry."

Whoa, and here he thought Salvatore was an angel. _Lie. _"I don't like them, Stefan. They told me some weird things while I was serving their drinks."

Another pause. This time the guy's tone changed to nervous. "What did they say?"

"About… how they knew my sister."

Stefan sighed heavily. "Nothing is wrong, Matt. You probably misunderstood what they said. Goodnight."

"Wait…"

Dial tone.

He hung up and mumbled, "Well excuse me for giving a shit."

He knew something was going on, whether Stefan admitted it to him or not. The blonde and his friend had said nothing to him except to order more drinks but he did notice—_feel_-their eyes on him, analyzing him like a lab rat. _But why? _Maybe they were from the government, maybe they were terrorists—many 'maybes' but he couldn't ignore the sickly feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong, and if he ever saw them again, he was going to get some answers.

The phone rang. He looked down at the screen and saw it was Mason. He sighed and rubbed at his tired eyes. He honestly didn't feel like talking. All he wanted to do was start some of his homework before going to bed. His sore muscles whined at him to stop moving.

So he ignored the call and placed the car into gear, heading straight home.

* * *

><p>Katherine was trying out different hairstyles in her mirror when suddenly the soft light from all her five candles around her room burnt out, leaving her in darkness.<p>

"The hell?" she mumbled, confused and slightly annoyed. She opened one of her drawers and felt around for matches when she froze. There was a deep disturbance in the air. Evil and powerful, frightening.

And it was in her room.

She quickly stood up and managed to run to the wall to switch on the light, eyes wide as she turned to scan her room, ready to attack if necessary. After a couple of seconds, she realized there was indeed no one inside the room with her. But the feeling didn't leave. Her senses were tingling—not trying to quote Spiderman—and she swallowed, her eyes narrowing down to the floorboards below where her spell book was hidden. _Could it be…?_

* * *

><p>Jeremy had proudly done his homework and had changed into his pajamas, ready to call it a day. He walked over to the door to go tell the girls goodnight. He knocked on his cousin's door which he received no answer. He was about to knock again when the door suddenly opened only enough for him to see Katherine's eye peeking at him.<p>

"Yeah."

He frowned for a moment in confusion to her odd behavior. Then he wondered if Katherine was hiding something like…a Stefan. _Ew. _

"I just wanted to say goodnight. I'm going to bed a little early…so…goodnight." He said awkwardly before he gave her a little wave and going downstairs to Jenna.

Matt arrived home moments later, dragging his gym bag on floor.

"Mattie, that you?"

"Yeah."

Vicky appeared at his doorway, watching him with a frown as he let his stuff drop carelessly onto the floor.

"You don't look so good." She commented.

"Thanks."

Her eyes suddenly widened as her mouth dropped. "You got fried."

"No." he replied, toeing off his shoes and heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Then?"

"I'm just tried, Vic. Go back to bed."

"I was doing homework, actually."

"Oh."

Silence.

He wetted his toothbrush and applied the paste, scrubbing at his teeth.

"I'll just leave to it then. Goodnight." He heard his sister say.

"Goodnight." He called the best he could through the foam.

He didn't mean to be rude but he couldn't help but feel cranky as hell. His phone rang for the third time in his pocket as he rinsed his mouth. He placed down the brush and went back into his room. He closed the door as he sat down heavily at the edge of his bed and opened his backpack to get out his unfinished homework.

He got out his _Lord of the Flies _book for English class and opened to where he had left off, taking off the torn piece of paper and putting it next to him. He leaned back on his bed and sighed, the mattress feeling unusually soft under him.

It was hard to read. He could barely keep his eyes open and really concentrate on the words. Suddenly, his eyes began to water, a lump rising in his throat. He blinked away the tears and threw his book to the side, hearing it fall to the floor on the other side of his bed. He didn't like crying. He always felt like the parent, the one that should be strong and take care of his younger sibling without complaining. Because that was life and sometimes life hated for you no reason, it seemed. But you had to deal with it how you can and move on. What good does it do to cry? It's sure as hell isn't going to pay the bills.

He gasped, startled when he heard someone knock on his bedroom window.

"Who is it?" he managed to ask without showing the fear he couldn't see who it was as the closed curtains blocked his view from the outside.

Finally, a voice answered. Mason's. "Me."

He sighed, rolling his eyes as fear left him, replacing it with irritation. He wiped his eyes for any signs of tears and stood up, wincing at the stretch. He went to the window and opened it, half glaring at the werewolf. "What?"

He motioned to the closed window frame. He listened for any signs of Vicky for a second before, as quietly as he could, unlocking the window and lifted it up to let Mason in.

"What do you want?" he whispered, putting some distance between them as the older man entered the room.

Mason noticed this and frowned. "Are you trying to avoid me?"

"No, I was tired. In case you forgot, I go to school and work."

Mason's frown deepened as he slowly advanced on him. He took a step back and pointed a finger at him in warning. "Don't try anything. Vicky is next door. Now, you saw that I'm alive so please leave. I still have things to do."

In a blink of an eye, Mason was right in front of him, grabbing his face gently and kissing him. His eyes widened in surprise. For a moment, all his fatigue was gone as his hormones began to warm up. His eyes closed and kissed the curly haired brunette back, his hand reaching up to steady himself on a hard bicep. After a moment, he pulled away, shaking his head.

"I'm not in the mood."

The older man sighed. "So you are mad for last night."

"Could you let it go? I'm not!..."

He quickly stopped when his voice rose too loudly.

"She has headphones on." Mason reassured. "Now could you please tell me why you're mad at me?"

"I'm not." he said sincerely. "I'm tired. I want to finish my homework so I can go to bed."

"You could have told me that on the phone and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

He turned away and rubbed the back of his head tiredly, sitting on the edge of his bed. He stared at his hands when he began to talk. "These two guys came in during my shift today."

He looked up when Mason came over to sit down next to him. Though he didn't try to touch him. "Who?"

"I don't know. I've never seen them around town before but it was a blonde man. He couldn't have been more than thirty five. He came with a dark haired guy that looked around his late twenties. I felt them watching me for a good part of the time."

Mason was watching him with a concerned yet serious look on his face. "Did they touch you in any way?"

"No. I'm telling you this because I saw Stefan, a guy from my football team, come into the restaurant. He looked around as if he was looking for someone. And it was them. The two strangers."

"Relatives maybe?"

He shook his head. "He wasn't happy to see them. If you ask me it looked they were going to negotiate something."

"And you think your teammate is in trouble."

"I called but he said everything is fine and that I probably misunderstood the whole thing."

Mason sighed and lay back onto his bed. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Nothing." He paused, scratching the back of his head. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid."

Mason looked at him. "If you want I come in tomorrow and wait to see if they come back. Around what time did they arrive today?"

"Six maybe. Not too long before my shift ended."

"Alright I'll get there as soon as I get out of work."

He nodded. "Thanks. Hopefully I am just being paranoid."

"Even if you weren't, it's Stefan's problem."

He narrowed his eyes at the werewolf's indifference. "Excuse me?"

Mason shrugged. "If the guys are blackmailing him or something then he could take care of himself."

"That's not the point."

"It doesn't matter. I don't want you getting involved in more problems. Stefan even told you everything was fine."

He snorted and shook his head, turning away. "And here I thought you were caring."

"What?"

"You should go. I still have work to do."

Mason reached out and touched his arm. "I don't get why you're angry at me now."

"Just go, please. I mean it." He said firmly.

A long moment of silence came between them. He had a feeling Mason was hoping he would just tell him what he did wrong. Well he was in for a disappointment.

"I'm not going to tell you again."

"Or what? You'll call the cops on me?"

He turned a glare on him. The older man rose his hands in mock defeat, his expression turning serious. "Fine."

Being the nice guy he was 99% of the time, he began to feel guilty for kicking him out. But he had to learn to change that when it was necessary. He watched as Mason crossed in front of him and opened the window, climbing outside and disappearing into the darkness without a goodbye. The earlier lump in his throat came back again but he ignored it and went over to close the window again before changing into his pajama sweat shorts and an old t-shirt. He placed his book on his nightstand and finally climbed into the covers, staring up the ceiling for a moment. His gaze lowered down to the window. _I wonder if Tyler is like his uncle._ He rolled his eyes and turned onto his side, away from the window, as he reached over to turn on the lamp next to his bed and grabbed _The Lord of the Flies_. He wasn't going to let that werewolf get in the way of graduating.

* * *

><p>"But why me?" Kyle asked confused.<p>

"Why not?" Luis asked, sincerely surprised he was still denying them. _I'm trying to, man…but you're making it so hard. No pun intended. _

He felt the alcohol was doing its thing; logic slowly fade away and making the threesome sound very…very nice.

He watched with suspicion as Luis then leaned over and whispered something in his boyfriend's ear. When he was finished, Brent let out a deep sigh.

"Fine. You win. But can we at least dance for a bit before I take you home? Make it worth my gas time?" the brunette asked.

He eyed them both for a long moment. _They gave up?_ They seemed to be serious about it but something still felt off. He shrugged, trying not to think about the semi-hard erection in his pants. "Sure."

He leaned off the wall and began to walk back to the club first, not noticing the secret smiles the other two boys were making behind his back.

Back downstairs, he eyed the people on the dance floor, his ears filled with a new song he didn't recognize.

"Come on!" Brent coaxed into his ear, making him jump slightly. His eyes widened when his hand was taken next by him. He wanted to protest but by now his brain was turning fuzzy, his body relaxed even though a voice inside him was yelling at him to leave.

Brent pulled him onto the dance floor, until he could barely see anything around them. He didn't see Luis and he was about to ask Brent where he was when the guy appeared in front of him. He looked up, and saw lust there as deep brown eyes looked down into his own. He felt someone push up from behind him, soft hair ticking his ear.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice coming out strained as he knew what was going to happen. He knew probably not even Luis had heard his question as the Latin hottie diminished the little space between them to complete the sandwich.

**If I put my hands around your wrists, would you fight them? **

**If I put my fingers in your mouth, would you bite them?**

Luis' hand unzipped his jacket and slid it off, throwing it over his own shoulder. One hand then reached out and touched the side of his neck as the other settled on his side, teasing the hem of his shirt.

**So many things that I would do if I had my way with you…**

Hips began to move against him from both sides, his eyes shutting at the friction. He felt Brent's hair move upwards until he now felt a soft cheek press against the other side of his throat.

**I can keep secrets that I know that you want me.**

**You could dig your nails into my skin and you won't stop me.**

At point he felt himself return the favor, grinding back against Luis and further igniting the aching sensation in his dick. He gasped slightly, remembering there were people around them. He glanced around but no one was really paying attention to them. He turned his focus on Luis when he saw him lean forward to speak closely. "Don't think. Just enjoy."

The boy's accent made him shiver. His eyes widened when he found lips pressed against own, warm and soft.

**You could twist and scream into the air but no one can hear you here.**

**And there will be no tenderness, no tenderness.**

**There will be no tenderness, no tenderness.**

When the surprise wore off, he closed his eyes and wrapped an arm around Luis to pull the guy closer. After a moment, the grinding stopped when Brent reached and pulled his face away from Luis to kiss him. He moaned when Luis' mouth moved down to kiss where his hand once was, the other sliding under his shirt until found one of his nipples.

**I will show no mercy for you, **

**you had no mercy for me.**

**The only thing that I ask, love me mercilessly…**

He pulled away first, panting for breath. His eyes gazed into blue ones.

"Please…" he whispered desperately, licking his lips.

Brent knew what he wanted. Even if he hadn't heard him clearly enough, he was sure his expression spoke for him. Brent followed his tongue before tearing his eyes away to signal Luis they were leaving.

One of the boys had a motel room ready a couple of minutes away from the club. By now, his erection was clearly visible in his pants. Moments later, they were inside the room. And the attacking began. Clothes was practically torn from flesh as wet lips met, hands exploring new contours, moans echoing in the room.

The bed was enough for only two adults but no one gave a flying fuck. Kyle definitely wasn't, he was busy enough trying to stand, with all those lips and hands, and hard muscles around him.

"Brent, _puedo_?" he heard Luis pant out when he pulled away. At the back of his mind he wondered what he said.

"Yeah." Brent answered between kisses on his neck.

Kyle heard his phone ring in his pocket somewhere on the floor. He froze, his mind trying to make what that meant. But before he could move, Brent pushed him onto the bed, eyeing his erection.

He forgot about the ringing when he saw both boys standing in front of him now, naked with the exception of their boxers. Looking closely, he saw Brent was slightly more built than Luis on the abs. He saw Luis also wore a thin religious cross around his neck. Either way, they were both gorgeous. _And his. _

He panted hungrily as he watched Luis start French kissing with Brent. He licked his lips as he reached out and began to message his swollen dick.

"No touching." Brent warned lightly between kisses.

He let his head fall back impatiently. "Well hurry up then!"

He heard Luis chuckle before the bed dipped under him. He looked up and saw the walking Latin lollypop climb over him.

"_Paciencia_."

He didn't know what it meant. by his tone he could tell he was joking. He raised an eyebrow.

"Patience."

"Ah—well how do you expect me when I see…_that_!" he demanded, pointing down towards the man's boxers.

"What if I want to take my time?" Luis whispered now, lowering his face towards his to kiss him.

He moaned, opening his mouth immediately for the other boy. Sometime during their kiss, Luis took off his boxers, now skin to skin. He gasped when he felt the man's hard dick against his inner thigh. He looked over at Brent, his cheeks on fire. The red head was also now completely naked, caressing and kissing Luis' back. As if on instinct, Brent opened his eyes and Kyle saw they were almost blown wide with lust. Brent gave him a nod though he didn't know if he was giving him permission to continue enjoying his boyfriend or something else.

He focused back on Luis who ran a thumb over his bottom lip. The thumb then lowered down underneath his chin and firmly pushed his head back to latch his mouth onto the skin of his neck. He arched his hips against Luis', whimpering when their erections touched halfway.

"Move up." He heard Brent say. His breath hitched when Luis obeyed, taking him with him and sensually grinded their hips together sensually. His head was now half way over the edge of the bed. Enough to see a closed window on the plain white wall.

"Luis!" he whined through his teeth now. His fingers gripped the white sheets under him.

The Latin lollypop simply chuckled which suddenly choked into a loud moan. He frowned slightly in confusion, until he lifted his head enough to see why. Brent was on his knees, spreading his boyfriend's cheeks apart and licking the crease.

"Wait-not so fast! I won't be able to hold it!" Luis warned and Brent stopped licking and started kneading Luis buttocks instead. Kyle took the moment to continue admiring the boy's body. Lean with muscle but not overbearing. He reached out and ran his fingers over the boy's face, tracing his lips, his nose and eyelashes. Luis opened his eyes at the tender touch, continuing to watch him as his eyes followed his fingertips down the boy's chest, pausing to touch at his nipples, before skipping his leaking organ and coming to rest on a hard bicep. There he noticed a thin scar of a few inches, running down the left pec, it gave Luis a rugged appeal, one Kyle had no idea would turn him on. Their eyes met again. _So hot. _

He wished it could have lasted a bit longer; maybe feel the same touch from Luis. Instead, he was surprised to see the older boy touch his bottom lip with two fingers.

"Suck." He then told him.

He hesitated. "But what about condoms?"

Luis just smiled. "You don't trust me?"

After a long moment, he let out a breath, his cheeks heating up again but opening his slightly trembling mouth and taking the digits into his mouth. He ran his tongue over them, coating with saliva the best he could. After a moment, Luis nodded and pulled them away carefully.

"Ready?" Brent asked them, panting.

He nodded, not finding his voice as Luis mimicked him. He swallowed, nervous and excited when he expected to feel a finger touch his clenching hole.

But no finger came. Instead he suddenly saw Brent next to him handing Luis a condom and a small grey bottle. Kyle felt relieved at the prospect and anticipated to see Luis put it on. And see it he did but not on Luis, instead his own cock was wrapped up and the resulting package coated with what Kyle could only guess was lube. His eyes got round and his heart was beating even faster than before. His mind was in turmoil as his brain tried to calculate the implications of what his senses told him. He wanted to ask, but 'virgin' was all he managed to get out.

"I'll be careful." Luis assured him with a smile.

He nodded and let his head fall back onto the mattress again, bracing for whatever was about to come.

Luis position himself above him and he could feel someone, Brent probably grabbing his cock – both of Luis' arms were fully visible – and steadying it until Luis slowly impaled himself, squeezing Kyle until his ass rested against Kyle's hips. This felt better than anything he could imagine. Fuck. That tight channel squeezed him, holding him like nothing ever had. He gritted his teeth in an attempt to hold off his climax. Sweat beaded on his forehead from the effort, especially as he felt Luis push out. Kyle studied Luis's face expecting to see pain but finding only bliss. And what a great expression it was to see this hunk above him, the muscles on his upper body working as he slid up and down and slowly started to rock his hips.

"Does he feel good?" Came Brent's voice out of nowhere. Kyle saw him appear behind the moving Luis and licking his earlobe.

"Oh yeah, just like you promised." Luis panted.

_What?_

Brent must have seen Kyle's expression as he smiled and came down to him. At first he licked Kyle's left nipple, than trailed with his tongue up to the collarbone, along the neck and resting on Kyle's ear, whispering. "You see Kyle, I am a total bottom, never could top in my life."

That was a surprise to Kyle. "So Luis is always in control?" He managed to get out as Luis' ass again rested against his thighs and Luis only rocked his hips, sweat dripping down his body and an expression of pure ecstasy on his face.

"Brent usually is the boss in bed," he said to Kyle as their eyes met again, "that is what I love about him so much, who do you think showed me what I am doing to you right now?"

Brent smiled and came up to his lips for another round of French kisses. When they stopped Brent turned to Kyle again.

"Unfortunately Luis is not a total top and from time to time he needs a real dick in his ass." Brent came down to him again and gave him a long and lavish kiss. "And when I saw the bulge in your pants the first time I knew it would be just the right thickness for Luis' ass."

Luis moaned loudly. "And you were so right. You should take a sample of that cock as well."

Brent chuckled, "next time I promise."

_Next time?_

"Now ride him baby, ride him good."

Kyle was now actually shaking with the effort not to come.

Brent grabbed Luis' cock, his eyes never leaving Kyle's, and pumped.

Luis picked up his pace, matching Brent's hand. The whole time they stared into his eyes. Luis and Kyle were both sweating.

"Hurry, hurry."

Brent nodded, still working the cock. "Yeah, yeah, Kyle, now."

Kyle came. Just let it go. It was almost painful to hold back, so he went with it, filling Luis up. Lightning arced up his spine, pulling a hoarse yell from his throat.

Luis came seconds later, his eyes wide, still watching Kyle. Spunk sprayed over Brent's hand, on Luis' chest, even on Kyle's stomach.

Luis slowly slid off of him, his cock protesting. The dark haired boy crawled over to where Brent was, giving him a kiss before snuggling back onto the pillow with a content sigh and a lazy smile. All Kyle could do was lay there as he recognized his phone ringing from somewhere on the floor. _Shit, it's Jeremy. _The right thing to do was to get up and go answer but he couldn't move, his muscles pulsing and his cock feeling…weird. Brent raised an eyebrow when he heard the ringing, silently asking him if he was going to get that. But now all he could think about was what had been said during the sex. Would there be a next time? With him topping Brent? The ringing stopped seconds later, the silence tense as the question still hung in the air.

"I don't think I can tonight…" He replied, honestly letting the rest be unsaid. The vodka that has once gave him the aroused adrenaline he needed was now turning into a sleeping pill, almost coaxing him to close his eyes and let sleep take over.

His heart picked up slightly at the sudden blank stare he received from the older boy. For a moment he thought Brent would get angry or laugh at him, call him a loser and wimp before leaving with Luis. Instead a smirk appeared on the red head's face.

"Fine." He answered, lowering himself further onto the sheets and spreading his legs wide. It took him a moment to figure out what Brent meant. His face flushed in embarrassment. _He wants me to give him head? _He's touched himself before to porn on his computer and, with shame in admitting it, while he thought of Jeremy a few times. But to put another guy's penis in his mouth…_what if he sucked at it with no pun intended? _

The fear must have shown on his face as Brent sighed and reached his palm out to him in invitation. "Come here."

When he hesitated, Luis chuckled. "He's so cute."

He slowly crawled over until he lay down between Brent's legs, his eyes ping ponging back and forth between the red head and the erection.

"Think of it like a lollypop." Brent tried to help.

"But bigger." Luis added, earning a smug look from his boyfriend.

He opened his mouth and leaned forward to take a testing lick at the boy's cock. Brent jumped slightly at this. He paused, looking at the boy under his lashes.

"Keep going, darlin'."

He closed his eyes as opened his mouth and took the tip of the dick into his mouth to suckle on it, wanting to hear more of Brent's reaction.

"Holy shit…" he heard the red head gasp, nails scratching the headboard and hips arching upwards. With the confidence boost, he took more of the hot flesh. He gave a strangled gasp when he felt a tongue on one of him buttocks. He opened his eyes and saw it was Luis. He was about to pull back when Brent placed a firm blockade on the back of his head.

"Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you."

He hesitated, feeling himself shake. But in the end, he gave into the promise and closed his eyes again, moaning when the tongue licked more of him. "Clean, very good," he heard Luis say. Minutes later, Brent suddenly pulled his head upwards by his hair and captured his mouth in a kiss, seconds later he felt something hot and liquid hit his skin.

He shivered, groaning and pushing back against Luis' tongue that was, literally, fucking his hole.

His limps gave in and he fell down on the sheets, not caring that he was rubbing his own fluids on his stomach. He must have been tired as fuck or he didn't care to listen anymore as he heard talking coming from the other two boys. He felt himself being lifted and placed under the covers, warm hands and bodies pressing up against him from both sides as the scent of musk filled his senses.

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><p>Note: You know you wanna click the review button :3<p> 


	43. Douchebag

First Time for Everything

Chapter 43

Sonel: Yeah sorry about that! I didn't have a beta reader back then lol the guy's name is defiantly Daniel! Not a member? Join :D best place on the web! You don't have to make stories if you join. Thank you for reviewing!

DamonKlausKlamonFan: Yeah I try to make Kyle the funny guy :) He's in this chapter but he won't have a huge part like he did last time. I'm sorry :/ Thank you for reviewing!

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><p>Klaus didn't turn around as he served his brother and him a glass of red wine outside in the sunroom of the house.<p>

"How was school?" he asked with a smirk when he heard the screen door open.

"Cut the bullshit. I'm just here to tell you that I want you to stay away from Daniel." Steven growled angrily.

"And I suppose you were going to let people start talking about your little slip."

"That's my business."

"I don't follow anyone, kid. I do what I want, whenever I want for whatever I want. You should have figured that out a long time ago."

"Just stay away from him."

He turned in his chair and stared at the young vampire."Or what?"

The silence was thick and tensely. If it hadn't been for Elijah, the stupid weakling would have attacked. And Klaus would have had no problem killing him.

"Enough. I'm not feeling up to cleaning up any messes." His brother paused and focused on Steven. "I'll talk to him for you."

Steven eyed Elijah for a long moment before the brunette turned and walked back inside the house, the door slamming behind him.

Elijah shook his head in disbelief.

He smiled before raising his glass in a silent mocking 'cheers' before drowning down the rest of the wine. "Soon."

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><p>Jeremy stared at his alarm clock as the minutes counted down to the start of another new day. He hadn't been able to sleep until two, waiting for Kyle to answer his damn phone. But sleep had taken over eventually. He'd been up since a little before five and felt wide awake since then. He groaned softly and reached over to set off the alarm before sitting up and squinting across to his desk in his still dark room. He got off his bed and carefully walked over to the wall to turn on the lights. When he then went to check his phone he saw no new messages or missed calls. <em>Kyle you dumbass, you better be okay! <em>His heart raced as he called him.

Voicemail.

Eventually, after quite a few tries, the idiot picked up.

"Kyle!" he hissed lowly, irritated.

"Jeremy?" his best friend asked, sounding nervous. "What's up?"

"What's up?" he groaned in disbelief. "What's up? What's the hell is up with you? What happened to the promise of calling me?"

Kyle sighed. "I'm very sorry for that. I fell asleep after…"

"After the sex." He rolled his eyes, not even bothering to let it sound like a question.

"Pretty much."

"But you're fine? Where are you?"

"Going home. Thank _GOD_ that I managed to wake up with enough time for Brent to take me home! Though I feel like I could still use ten hours of sleep."

"Okay. You're on your way home…that's good." He paused, checking the clock. 5:27. "You still have time."

"Yeah. But I am really sorry for not calling you."

He frowned. "Please tell me you didn't drink last night, man."

No reply.

His mouth dropped open. "You idiot! So am I not able to trust your word anymore?"

"No of course not!—Shut up!—I only had two drinks. Honest!"

"Beer?"

"No but it was only two drinks. Small ones even!"

He groaned. "But you still drank. Fine, fine. Whatever, you're on your way home. Just don't get caught by the police. I'm sure your pedophile there got drank too."

There was a short silence before Kyle broke out laughing. "Did you just call Brent a pedophile? Oh god, that's good! I need that, Jere, thank you!"

"It was being serious."

"Either way that was hilarious! Brent is trying not to laugh."

"I'm glad I can amuse the son of a bitch."

"Geez, lighten up. He's not a bad guy once you get to know him."

"The bed doesn't count."

"Ouch."

"Pass him the phone."

"Huh?"

"Now, Kyle!"

There was a short pause. He heard some confused voices in the background before—he guessed—Brent answered. "Yeah?"

"I wanna kill you right now for what you did to Kyle. But before you tell me that you didn't make him do anything he didn't want to do, I can hear that but that doesn't make you a better person."

"But…"

"If I were to tell my best friend to never see you again, I have a very big feeling he won't listen to me. But if I were to tell you to leave him the hell alone would you do it?"

"I…"

"Probably not. So let me tell you something. If anything happens to him. _Anything_. I will send the cops on your ass and add in some nice extra stuff about you."

"Um…"

"Pass him the phone."

More background conversation was heard before Kyle's voice came back on the line a moment later.

"Hey…"

"If anything happens to you, it will be on my conscious. You remember that. Also…I'm willing to let you keep in touch—so to speak—with him because I know you'll hate me for the rest of my life if I ruined it for you."

"R-really? Seriously? Oh my god, Jeremy, thank you…"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't rub it in. my good side is already yelling at me."

"Just wonderin… but how would you ruin it for me?"

"I'd tell your mom about what you're doing."

"Oh."

He sighed heavily. "So how long now before you get home?"

"Around forty minutes or so. I have a good excuse in mind if she's awake when I get back."

"Which is?"

"Out walking slash getting some fresh air."

He rolled his eyes. "Call me when you get home…or don't."

"I really am sorry!"

"I know you are. So seriously call me this time." He warned.

"I will."

"Okay. Be safe and I hope you use a condom."

"Hehehehe. You sure you don't want the details?"

"I'll live. Bye."

"Later. Unless I have my dick up Brent's ass by then." He added and then ended the call before Jeremy could respond.

Jeremy rubbed his hand over his face. He knew what that little giggle meant. _The moron didn't use a condom. _If he was still over there right now, he would have probably hit the guy. He clicked the button on his phone and saw it was now 5:54. He should probably just get ready for school.

Breakfast was silent until Katherine offered him to take her car when she wasn't using it.

"Seriously?" he asked, surprised.

She shrugged, covering her mouth as she replied, "I've seen I can trust you with it. I'm willing to let Tyler in it too…just don't get any on my seats."

Jenna choked on her breakfast with this, grabbing a napkin to cover my mouth as she coughed.

He blushed. "Sure. Thanks."

She nodded and turned away to continue eating. W_eird. She's quiet today. _

After Katherine insisted for him to hurry up and go brush his teeth she gave him a hidden look with her eyes, meaning she wanted to talk away from Aunt Jenna.

He nodded and finished his own cereal before putting his dishes in the sink. He could feel his aunt's suspicious eyes on them as they excused themselves upstairs. Katherine tapped his arm to stop him as they arrived at her bedroom door.

"I liked that Anna girl. You should bring her here more often. Good for you to have friends."

He titled his head to the side. "You took me away to tell me that?"

When she didn't reply he asked, "This doesn't have to do with you preferring her over Tyler, does it?"

This time she ignored the question. "She likes you."

He winced. "I sensed that but I only like her as a friend. Anyway, she knows I'm gay. The whole school does."

"Just saying."

"Sure. You can keep taking the car in the morning unless I tell you ahead of time. I'll be riding with Tyler."

"Fine. Also…"

He waited.

She hesitated before she waved it off. "Have a nice day."

He nodded, wondering what she really wanted to say, before he went to his room to brush his teeth and floss. He loved the fresh tingling sensation in his mouth. After, he grabbed his phone on the way back out of the bathroom when he suddenly realized something.

_Ouch_. He had almost completely forgotten about that. He went over to his desk and opened one of the drawers on the side. Inside laid the ring Tyler had given him, covered with tissue paper. He grabbed it and took off the paper. He looked down at it for a moment, remembering the day he found it in his locker. He was a little scared to wear it to school, knowing it had to be pretty expensive if it came from the richest guy in town. _Mine. _He smirked and licked his lips. The possessive werewolf had texted him practically the whole time Anna was there. When Anna curiously asked who it was, he simply answered his best friend, Kyle. She didn't press anymore after that.

He placed back the ring and asked Tyler where he was. He then grabbed his backpack and left to go wait outside. He glanced at Katherine's closed door on the way and went down the stairs. He walked to the kitchen where his aunt was washing the dishes.

"Are you going to your nursing home job today?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm going for my interview. Cross your fingers for me?" she asked, glancing at him with a smile.

He returned the gesture and raised both his hands with his fingers crossed.

"Have fun at school. Don't fall asleep." She warned.

He snorted. "I'll try. By the way, Tyler wanted to do dinner Friday if that's okay with you."

"That's fine." She said, curtly. _Wow, does she hate him! _

"Good luck with your interview."

"Thanks. I'll be leaving dinner ready. I won't be here until around six or seven."

"Okay. See ya."

"Bye."

He opened the door and went outside only to find Tyler waiting for him out front.

His lips parted, feeling a familiar tingling sensation in his lower regions. _Mine. _He felt weird again. Like from the strange incident in his room. He felt in control, confident, and…_very_ horny. He closed the door before jogging his way to his the expensive looking car. He opened the door and climbed inside.

"Morning…"

The older boy was cut off with a deep kiss. Tyler had opened in his mouth in surprise. He took advantage of that and slid his tongue into the werewolf's mouth, sucking on his tongue and exploring the warm cavern. Tyler's surprise finally faded as he responded just as eagerly, both of them mentally flipping the bird at the risk of getting caught.

He reached out and began messaging Tyler's dick through his jeans. Tyler jerked away, cheeks reddening as he glanced around in a panic. He glanced down at the dash board and saw they had about half an hour before school started. When his eyes returned to Tyler, he could tell that he knew what he was thinking. He smirked and looked down at the erection in Tyler's jeans.

"Need help with that?"

Tyler took a second too long to shake his head telling Jeremy the boy wanted it. Bad.

"Not here."

"Come on. Take the risk with me. It's a lot more fun." He wiggled his eyebrows.

Tyler lifted his hand. "Only under one condition."

Jeremy mentally groaned but remained a calm façade. "Which one?"

"I want to suck you off."

Jeremy's breathing became heavier and he felt his nostrils flaring. When Tyler licked his lips Jeremy found himself automatically lifting his hips high so he could slide his jeans down enough to get his cock free. As Jeremy revealed his fully hard erection Tyler licked his lips and gently took it in his hands, causing a noticeable hitch in the Jeremy's breathing.

Tyler didn't seem to need any further encouragement. He smirked and took him down his throat without hesitation which scared Jeremy a little. Something was going on with him but a large part of him couldn't concentrate as Tyler began working his cock.

"So fucking hot." He gritted out. He could feel his needs to fuck up into Tyler's mouth. So fucking hot, indeed.

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><p>Katherine held back a laugh as her mind went back to Jeremy's earlier question about if she preferred Anna over Tyler. In all honesty, yes. Simply because she was human…and could actually give him a child. But that topic was for another time. But then when she thought about it, Jeremy looked happy with Tyler now. She didn't know if it was love but it would come to it eventually if they did have to stay together for the rest of their lives. She smiled to herself. T<em>hat sounds like something from a romance novel—WHAT THE HELL? <em>Her eyes went wide as she spotted Tyler's car outside in the parkway. She mentally scolded herself for thinking such wrong things but she pressed her face against the window, covering around her face and eyes with her hands to get a better look. Jeremy was leaning back against the passenger's door, his face filled with pleasure as Tyler's head…

She gasped and turned away, her whole face turning bright red as she quickly fanned herself with her hand. _That stupid moron! Doing those things in FRONT of the house were Jenna could easily spot them too. Where ANYBODY can spot them. _Though another part of her gave credit to Jeremy for being so bold.

Her phone vibrated, signaling a new text message.

_I'll see you at lunch?_

**Yeah. Love you!**

_Love you too. _

She set her phone down on her drawer as she checked herself in the mirror, fluffing her curls and checking her teeth for any lipstick stains. Her face was less red now but she had to remove the shocking images from her mind. She eyed her new elbow-long sleeved, white-colored sweater with black leggings and white knee high boots. The house was a little cold, despite the heater being on; she couldn't imagine how it must feel outside. She hated winter. She then texted Jeremy: **GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!**

She walked back to the window and took small peeks from the corner of her eye, waiting for the boys to leave. After a moment, the car finally drove away and she sighed with relief.

She placed on her jacket and grabbed her black Juicy Couture bag and sprayed some of her sweet smelling perfume before going out the door and downstairs.

"Leaving for school, Jenna! Good luck with your interview!" she called, not pausing to hear the response.

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><p>After the phenomenal blow job, Jeremy laughed when he saw the text message from Katherine.<p>

"She saw." He simply said.

Tyler lost his color for a second when he thought he was referring to Jenna.

"Katherine." He reassured. Without another word, Tyler simply smirked, gave Jeremy a kiss and drove off.

"So did you tell your aunt about Friday?"

"Yeah. She's fine with it."

Tyler nodded but didn't comment. Jeremy noticed his boyfriend's expression and tone change. It was serious but also nervous. For what? He was almost scared to know.

Moments later, they were only a few blocks away from school when Tyler carefully turned the car and stopped onto a curb of a street. Jeremy glanced around briefly in confusion before he turned on the werewolf.

"What are we doing here?"

Tyler stayed silent as he stared at his hands on the steering wheel. Minutes passed and he saw they only had a couple of minutes before first period began.

"We're going to be late. What's going on?" he demanded.

Tyler closed his eyes. "Jeremy, please don't take this the wrong way but…I can't give you a ride to school for a while."

His mouth dropped open in shock. For a moment, he thought Tyler was playing a sick joke on him but seconds passed and the sound of laughter didn't come.

Suddenly the feeling in his gut left, replaced by anger and hurt. "What do you mean you can't give me a ride? Was this why you sucked me off?"

Tyler's hand was up so fast all Jeremy saw was a blur. The boy gesticulated franticly. "No, I swear, no. That was completely spontaneous. I swear by the fact that I sucked you off in front of your house."

That calmed Jeremy down, a little, he wasn't fully buying it. "Then what is it?"

"Jeremy, haven't you heard what people are talking about at school?"

It took him a minute to realize what this was about. "Wow. I'm so grateful that you prefer to save your fucking reputation."

Tyler turned glared at him. "People will know about us one day! I just don't want it to be right now because I want to tell my parents first! I don't want them to know through the god damn gossip!"

"Whoa, first of all I'm the one who should be pissed off! I'm not the one who's dumping his boyfriend on the side of the road after giving him a blow job!"

Tyler tried to reach out to touch his hand but he jerked away. "Don't you dare."

"It's not that I'm ashamed of being seen with you, Jeremy! I just want to wait until my parents know first before the rest of the town does! If we continue doing this, the school will eventually figure it out. Did you forget about the lies I have to make to take you away for Christmas?"

"Well if it's getting so hard for you, maybe you shouldn't bother with it." he said, bitterly before he climbed out.

"Jeremy!"

"Fuck you!"

He was seething so hard he began to shake. He shoved his hands into his sweatshirt pockets and pulled his hoodie up as he walked towards the school, knowing he was probably already late for class.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean you're quitting the team?" Coach Tanner yelled at Matt inside his office.<p>

Matt tried not to flinch as the coach stood up in anger and disbelief.

"It means exactly what I told you." he said coolly.

Tanner's veins appeared on his forehead, his face turning bright red. He had a hard time getting out his words. "B-Before the game?"

"After. I want to focus on my studies and my job, sir. You'll do fine without me, I'm sure."

"But you can't just quit the team in the middle of the school year!"

He shook his head. "There's only two months left into the season, sir. Excuse me."

He felt a smile form on his lips once he stepped into the hallway. It felt like a weight had lifted off his shoulders. But it had also felt good to know he had stood up to Tanner for the first time in his high school years.

* * *

><p>Daniel was typing away in computer class when suddenly a neatly folded piece of paper appeared beside the keyboard. He glanced at the guy next to him who was too busy typing away too to notice his stare. He took the note and unfolded it.<p>

When he finished reading it, his heart began to beat hard in his chest. He looked around carefully as if he would see Klaus in the room. The gorgeous blonde vampire wanted to meet with him in secret outside of town. His good mood was shortly lived when he remembered his encounter with Steven the day before. _I own you._ _Don't you dare disobey me. _He swallowed, not sure what to do now. If he ignored Klaus, he didn't know how the blonde would react. If he ignored Steven, he knew for sure he'll be dead. But Steven was acting like more of a douchebag than normal. He's been ignoring him all day and seeking out the whore Forbes.

"Daniel, are you texting?" the teacher asked him with a disapproving look.

"No, ma'am." He replied, quickly shoving the note into his pocket before the teacher decided to approach him. He real wonder was how the vampire managed to get the note there in the first place.

* * *

><p>Katherine waited outside the lunch room for Stefan. She spotted Jeremy head her way and he smiled at her before passing by. She glanced back at him when he came.<p>

"You okay?" he asked.

She frowned. "Yeah, why?"

"You're…weird today. Quiet."

She had to get him off her back. She rolled her eyes. "I'm having a female problem."

Jeremy looked confused for a second before his eyes widened. "Oh…sorry. I'll…"

"Hey." Stefan greeted.

"Hey." She replied, giving him a peck.

Jeremy's eyes couldn't widen any more as he slowly turned to stare at her boyfriend with red cheeks. Stefan looked back at her cousin, amused but also awkward. She looked back and forth between the two boys. _Did I miss something? And why was Jeremy blushing? _

"Have a nice lunch, guys." Jeremy said quickly before he walked away.

She raised an eyebrow at Stefan, putting a hand on her hip.

He opened his mouth but no sound come out. He sighed. "I'll tell you about it outside."

They got their food and walked outside. She glanced over at the ugly brown table. It was better than eating her food on the ground, especially when she was wearing white. She pointed over at it. "How about we sit there instead?"

Stefan stopped and followed her finger. He nodded. "Sure."

They sat down next to each other. She grimaced down at the greasy chicken. "I should start bringing my own lunch. This stuff is absolutely disgusting. Someone is going to sue the school for food poisoning one day."

He chuckled. "I think it's pretty good."

"Duh. You'd eat anything cause you burn everything you eat during practice."

"True but to me it simply tastes good. You're used to that caviar and stuff."

Her mouth dropped open. "Excuse you. I'll let you know I hate that _stuff_. I'm very picky when it comes to food—and clothes, but that's not the point—so lay off the judgments."

He turned to look at her as he stopped chewing, afraid she wasn't joking. She was smirking but mentally she admitted his comment had hurt a little.

"I didn't mean it that way." He protested anyway.

She waved it off. "Forget it. Moving on, what happened back there with Jeremy?"

"You look amazing."

She smiled. "Thank you, babe, but don't change the subject."

He scratched the back of his head. "It's a little embarrassing but…your cousin saw me naked in the locker room on Monday."

"What? Why was he there?"

Stefan suddenly looked very thoughtful. "Now that you mention it, I remember him saying that he was looking for Tyler."

_Ew… _She remembered the car incident that morning.

She scoffed, lying. "Jeremy's probably having some issues with him. You know how macho man that guy can get."

Stefan didn't press as he simply nodded, looking her over with an appreciative eye.

"I hope you heard what I said." She said, seriously.

He immediately looked at her again. "Of course, sorry. You do really look amazing."

She smiled.

"You know you can tell me anything."

Her smiled wavered at that, her heart picking. She still needed to tell him about her magic side. "I know.

"Cause I love you and I'll be here for you no matter what." He said seriously, reaching over to grab her hand. _Maybe I should get that in writing. _She glanced briefly at the group of freshman looking boys a few feet away. Two of them were glancing over too.

She focused back on him and raised an eyebrow at him teasingly. "So what brought this up all of a sudden?"

"I just think you're holding back about something."

She lost her smile. "What?"

"Your expression right now tells me I'm right."

For a good long moment, the only sound coming from the small group of guys. Should she just tell him? But then how would he react? The logical side in her brain told her that it wouldn't be the end of the world if he was to react the wrong way. But then there was always the risk of using it against her, telling the student body that she was crazy. The emotional side didn't want to lose him, wanting to keep it quiet until maybe further into the school year to see how long and how strong their relationship lasted. But mostly she did want to tell him, untie the knot in her stomach and move on.

"Just tell me, please." she heard Stefan beg quietly.

There was a disturbance in the air again. Stefan continued to stare intensely at her, slowly making her grow uneasy. She remembered the vampires and their powers. But one that held strongly in her mind was the power of compulsion: the ability to force anyone to do anything upon request. A strong, usually irresistible, impulse to perform an act, especially one that is irrational or contrary to one's will.

"Please." he kept insisting.

"Stefan, you're scaring me a bit now." She whispered. It was so low for a second she thought she had thought it instead.

Why was he so insisting?

"I need you to tell me." Stefan gritted out.

She bit her tongue hard; enough to taste blood in her mouth. _Oh my god. It's true. _

She jumped when Stefan grabbed her wrists. She looked up at him and saw his face no longer held any emotion but determination. F_or what? _

"Tell me, Katherine."

The vampires knew about her. About what she was, about what she could do. Then it all came smacking her in the face like a wrecking ball. She winced when his grip tightened. She tried to pull her hands away as her defense system slowly began to rise. "Stop it, Stefan."

"Tell me!" he yelled now.

Next thing she knew, she punched him in the cheek and shoved him as hard as she could away from her. Stefan didn't expect this and his face whipped to the side as he fell off the bench and onto the grass with a loud grunt. She quickly grabbed her stuff and ran. She didn't stop to look back until she arrived inside the school building. She waited for a moment to see if he would come after her but he didn't. Her adrenaline was still running high as she ran into the bathroom and pulled out her cellphone. The bell rang, interrupting her thoughts. When it stopped, she realized she was shaking. In fear or anger she didn't know. Maybe both. Her mind was racing for what to do next as her fingers ghosted over the keyboard. Slowly she heard voices of other students in the hallway, ready to head to their next class.

_Who should she call now? If she told Jenna or Jeremy, they'll ask questions or confront Stefan. _Her boyfriend wasn't himself. She and her family were in danger. The whole fucking town was in a danger now. _Vampires compelled Stefan. But why? What were they after?_

She glanced over to see a blonde step inside, texting away. She paused when she saw her.

"You okay?" she asked.

She frowned and lowered her cellphone to stare at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was pale than her usual slightly-dark colored tone. Beads of sweat clung her to temples as she continued to shake.

"Okay then…" the blonde said, hesitant before she went quickly into one of the stalls.

She had to find a solution to this on her own. She couldn't risk Jeremy knowing. The kid would just want to get involved too. The last thing she needed was a snarling werewolf on her ass if his mate got killed.

She took in a deep breath and let it out, counting to ten. She fluffed her hair and put herself together as she placed her phone back in her purse and walked out of the bathroom, ignoring an angry comment from a girl she almost knocked over.

* * *

><p>Jeremy spent his lunch behind the bleachers inside the gym. Not the best comfortable place to eat alone but he couldn't exactly give two fucks right now. Tyler had texted him numerous times during class and even began to call him during lunch. He even threatened him with coming to find him but ended up not doing it which he was grateful. Tyler knew well that he'd probably just end up getting socked in the face. He was tempted to text Matt for a moment but by the time he got the motivation to go for it, there was only ten minutes of lunch left. He would have ditched. But rethinking the option, he didn't feel like facing Jenna's wrath when the school to let her know.<p>

He almost had the urge to sing aloud when math finally ended and he handed in his test. He felt like he did good but felt bad for Anna when he caught her practically pulling her air in frustration out of the corner of his eye.

He waited for her as he dumped his pencil into his bag and swung it over his shoulder.

"Did you get the lesson?" he asked as they walked out of class together.

She gave him a 'are you kidding me' look.

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely.

"It's not your fault. I'm just naturally sucky with numbers." She laughed. Her smile faded when she must have seen something on his face. "What's wrong?"

He looked straight ahead, shaking his head. "Nothing. Why?"

She stopped and grabbed his arm to make him stop with her. She waited until he looked at her. "Tell me. Please. I'm willing to help."

"It's nothing I can't manage. Just stuff at home." He lied.

"Bullshit." Anna insisted. When he didn't commend further, she sighed. "We don't we go to the ice cream shop down town. They have really good butter pecan flavor."

He stared at her and couldn't help but give her a small smile. He was about to answer when a familiar scent. His eyes widened as he looked down the hallway to see Tyler standing there, giving Anna a murderous glare.

He glared back at Tyler in disbelief. _He dares to be a jealous moron after what he did? _

"Did I…miss something?" Anna asked. He focused back on her to see she was looking between the two of them.

"No. Let's go." He said and pushing her towards the exit. Shoving his anger aside momentarily, he wondered how he was able to smell Tyler from across the hallway. _Weird…must be a bond thing._

Later they were sitting outside the shop to eat their ice cream, talking and laughing about random things. Anna had asked about Tyler's glare when they had climbed inside her car but he just shrugged and told her it was just something Tyler Lockwood would do. She didn't press but he could tell she wasn't convinced.

And he was right.

"Tell me the truth, Jere. What really happened back there at school?"

He sighed heavily. "God, you're so persistent."

"That's what friends are for. So spill it, boy!"

He didn't know enough about her yet. For all he knew, she could help with the gossip at school. Talk about trust issues.

Her face softened when she saw his nervousness. "Is he bullying you?"

_Ha._ "Not exactly."

"Then?"

He looked around the few other customers around them. They weren't paying them attention but he couldn't take the risk. "He heard me make fun of him this one time and he hates me for it now." _Wow, that came out so convincing. _

"Oh…okay. Well if you ever need help, I'm right here." she said, flexing her arm jokingly.

He laughed. "I'll remember that."

Anna then gratefully changed the subject. "So you wanna come to my house? You could meet my mom."

He looked down at the time on his phone and shook his head. "Sorry not today. I forgot I have Matt coming over today. Maybe on Saturday?"

Disappointment clearly filled her features but she smiled. "Oh? Matt?"

His cheeks heated. "It's nothing like that."

She winked. "Mmhm. Alright just let me finish my cone."

* * *

><p>Later he was panting, trying to keep up with Matt as they jogged their almost finished first round around the block.<p>

"So how are you and Tyler doing?" the blonde asked, panting.

He bit his lip. He saw Matt glance at him out of the corner of his eye, wondering about the silence.

"Jere?"

If he told Matt about this morning, he would want to confront Tyler. He didn't want to start a fight. "We're fine."

"You sure? You look upset about something."

"I miss him. Jenna knows about our…weird relationship and doesn't like it. He's spending dinner with us on Friday."

"Good luck to Tyler." Matt said, snorting.

"Yeah."

When neither of them said anything after a moment. "Well you guys are better off. Mason and I are…in a semi-fight right now. We're ignoring each other because of last night."

"What happened last night?"

"You see, there were these two guys that came in during my shift at work yesterday. My manager placed me at the bar and I served them. I've never seen them before but they gave me this bad feeling. Sort of a like the feeling you have when you're walking down a dark alley at night."

"Why? Did they say something to you?"

"No but I could feel their eyes on me the entire time. Almost as if I was a lab rat."

"Did you get their names? You had to ask for I.D. didn't you?"

"I wasn't smart enough to think about that. They looked over twenty one so I didn't think of asking for proof."

"What did they look like?"

"The one that was most creepy was blonde with green eyes. He looked about thirty and was rich too. He seemed like a sort of boss because the guy that was with him silently left with him. This guy looked younger. Mid-twenties."

"And you told Mason?"

Matt paused his running as they approached a stop sign. Matt leaned against it with one hand, wiping his sweat with his towel. "Yeah I did. I got mad at him first though. Reason was because I saw those two guys meet with Stefan. Though the guy didn't look happy to see them when they left The Grill. I told Mason about this but he just got annoyed at me being concerned for Stefan. He acted like an ass so I told him to leave. Maybe I'm just being an idiot about the whole thing but the least he could do was listen."

"He'll come around."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Unless he's one of those who keeps a strong hold on his dignity."

"Now that we're at it, Katherine is being weird too. She's quiet." He commented.

Matt chucked. "Well, she's always been quiet before you came to town. She didn't really speak to anyone but me."

"So I shouldn't worry?"

"Let's not get worried about everyone. We should just stick to school and having the best normal life we could. I have to give it a bigger shot since it's my last year. That's why…I told my coach I was quitting football today."

"You did what?" he demanded.

Matt shrugged. "Well my last day isn't until next Thursday's game. Anyway, I've been playing for three years straight, man. I was thinking about it last night and I figured it would really help if I used those hours from practice to do something actually useful. I'm not sure yet I'm going to use the time for homework or work but…football is just over for me now."

"Was he mad?"

"Coach?" Matt chuckled. "Yeah but football season ends in mid-January. I'm pretty sure he's not gonna stop me or anything. Stefan is his star player."

He studied him for a really long time, taking it all in. Finally, he nodded in understanding. He went up to him and slapped his back, smiling, showing him he had his full support.

They did three rounds in the end. They were sweating like crazy as they wiped it off on their towels.

"How did it go?" Jenna called from the living room.

"Awesome. I needed that." Matt admitted, chuckling.

"Yeah, felt great."

"Did you want to have dinner? We have Chinese."

"Oh, no. Thank you. I don't want to intrude…"

"You will spend dinner with Jeremy and that's final." Jenna called.

Matt smiled, embarrassed before he nodded. "Yes, Ms. Sommers."

"Call me, Jenna. Ms. Sommers makes me feel old!"

He was surprised to see Matt serve himself three times. By the time both boys finished, there was nothing left.

"Hey, how good are you at Algebra 1?" he suddenly asked.

"Enough. Why?"

"Think you can tutor me for a bit before you go? I have a test tomorrow."

"I'll try my best."

About three hours later, Jeremy stared at Matt like if he was a god.

"Your best my ass. You're living here with me now."

Matt chuckled. "Glad I could help."

"I'll have to tell Anna about you next time. She's a little better than me but she admitted she could use a tutor too."

"Tell her I'm forty bucks an hour."

He slapped him on the arm joking. "Don't be an ass. Though now that you mention it, it would be pretty good for you to put a price."

"Thanks for not making me feel like a prostitute."

"You're welcome. But you could at least do twenty an hour."

"We'll see." The blonde paused and looked down at watch. "Time for me to head back. I still have some homework to do and hopefully Vicky managed to make herself dinner. Ouch."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Glad we could hang out."

Jeremy followed the older boy downstairs, pumping fists. "Thank you for the help."

"Thank you for dinner."

"And thank you for coming over." Jenna said coming over to give Matt a hug goodbye.

Matt smiled. "No problem. It was nice seeing you again, Jenna."

They both waited at the door until Matt waved as he drove off down the street. He closed the door and his aunt sighed.

"If only I was eight years younger."

"That's…creepy, Aunt Jenna." He commented, laughing.

"Just saying!"

"Right!" he drawled. "So how did the interview go?"

"I thought it went well. The manager read over my resume and told me that they were interested and asked me a few questions. At the end, they told me they were going to think about it and they should call me in a few days to tell me if I got the job or not. If I do, they'll do the background check first so I can start working as soon as I'm ready. I'm so nervous."

"I'm sure you'll get the job."

"I hope so." She glanced upstairs and whispered, "Cause when I started college I did some drugs. Not serious but thankfully I stopped and didn't manage to get caught."

His eyes widened in disbelief. "You did drugs? What kind?"

"Mostly prescription I got from my 'friends'. Trust me, people who get you into that stuff are not your friends. But yeah I stopped a few years ago. Started to affect me in general and my parents were staring to suspect. But that's the past, time to move on. I should probably follow your example and exercise."

He chuckled. "Alright."

He went upstairs to go take his shower, wrinkling his nose when he smelled his own stale sweat on his shirt. Moments later, he was leaning his forehead against the title of the shower, the cool water feeling great against his skin.

_Tyler…_

He closed his eyes, feeling betrayal and hurt fill him again. _That selfish asshole. If Katherine goes after you, don't come whining to me about it. _His hands clenched into fists. Maybe Tyler didn't like him that much. Maybe it was just all about the werewolf. But why should he care? He was human; he could forget about…

No.

The thought seemed too much to think about. It hurt, it _angered_ him to think Tyler would be with anyone else. He gasped, his eyes snapping open in surprise at the thought. _What if there was someone else? Someone Tyler thought was better? Or what if he was cheating? _He frowned. _He's mine. _He was so deep into his thoughts, he didn't feel his nails digging into the skin of his palm, drops of blood falling into the swirling water at his feet.

* * *

><p>Mason checked his phone for what it seemed like the millionth time that day. He groaned. Matt was waiting for him to apologize first. <em>Is he nuts? Just because he didn't worry about some guy too? <em>He felt jealous about this. His mate was more concerned about someone else. He placed his phone back in his pocket just as he heard the front door open. He relaxed slightly when his nephew's scent filled his nose. He finished his glass of whiskey as he waited for Tyler to come upstairs.

Moments later, he heard Tyler paused for a moment before he snorted.

"Thanks for not being creepy, Uncle Mason." The dark haired boy said as he opened the door. He sunk lower on the black leather chair in the corner of the room, watching Tyler set his things on the floor.

"What's wrong?" Tyler asked when he didn't respond.

"Matt."

The young werewolf's eyes widened. "Did something happen…"

He raised a hand to stop him, shaking his head in reassurance. "We're just not talking right now."

"What did you do now?"

He looked at his nephew in disbelief. "Excuse you. I didn't do shit. Matt got concerned for this Stefan guy and got angry because I couldn't do the same!"

"Stefan? Why was Matt concerned about him?"

"Something about these two guys coming into The Grill. He said he had a bad feeling about them and they have something to do with Stefan."

"Well I'm sure it can't be that bad. Anyway, it's Stefan's business and he can take care of himself." Tyler rolls his eyes. "It's not like coach reminds him every day that he's the best player on the team."

"Well, I don't know what your friend's problem is then."

"Matt's a nice guy. He cares about people so take it easy on him. He'll be over it soon. Though I think the real reason he's angry is because of the way you reacted."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I don't do well when it comes to showing my feeling either but we should try."

A smirk creped on his face. "Wow. This coming from you."

"Screw you." The kid mumbled, not amused.

"Anyway, the real reason I came to see you is to talk about your mating night."

"I remember the rules, Uncle Mason. Don't worry." Tyler commented, stripping off his t-shirt and throwing it roughly into the laundry basket.

"I was actually going to ask you if _he _knew?"

Tyler winced loudly.

He nodded in understanding. "It's gonna be hard to tell him but he'll have to get over it. It only needs to happen once. With the loss of control, I suggest for you to have it somewhere private. Or at least a house with sound proof windows. The wolf can get noisy during orgasm."

Tyler glared at his amusement. "Good to know."

"It actually is. Wouldn't want unnecessary attention on you."

His nephew's glare faded. "But what if he doesn't want to go through it? He does have a valid reason…" the glare returned, "thanks to someone."

He ignored the last comment. "We'll deal with it when the time comes."

Tyler huffed, not glaring again anymore as he stripped off his shirt and headed towards the bathroom. "Easy for you to say."

He stood up and grabbed Tyler's hand. "I need to explain a few things before I leave."

He let the boy go, watching as the young werewolf thought about it for a moment before he leaned against the door frame.

"I'll give you a few pointers about what you can tell Jeremy. It will make the news easier for him. And warning, I will not be sugarcoating. You need to now this stuff."

No reaction.

"When you give yourself over to wolf instinct, you are going to remember everything. You will still be there but your behavior is the only thing that is going to change technically. You are going to be rough in the matter of how you're going to perform when you're inside Jeremy."

Tyler opened his mouth, his cheeks slightly turning red.

He held up a hand. "The only thing you'll be able to think about is finally marking him as our own but I'm sure that won't be a surprise. You may bite him in the end of it, but that's more of a personal action. Once you have the orgasm, you will be able to pull back from it easier because the wolf is satisfied."

When Tyler saw he was finished, he scratched the back of his head. "You weren't kidding about not sugarcoating it."

He shrugged. "We're both guys. And I'm just trying to help you. You can explain it easier to Jeremy, but hopefully this will certainly make the decision positive."

"Thanks. I was…planning to go see him tonight before I found out you were here."

"Perfect. Tell him now. You wanted to take Jeremy for Christmas outside of town so you'll need the time to plan for the perfect, ultimate lie you'll have to give."

"Yes, I know." Tyler growled.

He frowned. "What's your problem? You seem to be on the edge tonight."

"I'm tired. I want to shower and take a nap."

"Bullshit but fine if you don't want to tell me…"

Tyler growled loudly, stomping into the bathroom and slamming the door. _Okay…_

"No need to be a four year old, Tyler." He said, sighing.

"I told Jeremy this morning I didn't want to take him to school anymore."

His eyes widened. "Why the fuck would you do that?"

"Because people are talking and I don't want anyone knowing _yet_. Especially my parents." His nephew snapped.

He rolled his eyes. "Sounds logical but you still shouldn't push your mate away, Tyler. It's not good to both of you."

"I'm not."

"Sounds like you did."

"Fuck you!"

"Honestly, I'm not in the mood for this. But seriously, try to go talk to him. Goodnight."

* * *

><p>Tyler wanted to throw and punch things. His hands were itching for it but his parents would ask questions and that's the last thing he wanted.<p>

"Honestly, I'm not in the mood for this. But seriously, try to go talk to him. Goodnight."

He didn't reply. He knew he was right but he didn't want to pull away from the wall until he felt sane enough.

"By the way," he heard Mason once more, "should you two do it, don't forget the douche beforehand." Then the sound of a door being slammed and it was silent.

He listened to the sound of his uncle walk out of the room and close the door behind him. The footsteps faded minutes later and followed by the roar of an engine. Soon enough, the car faded into the distance.

He realized he was panting and sweating all over again. His heart pumping fast like it did at practice. He suddenly wished he didn't have to shower. All he wanted was to sleep. He let out a shaky sigh as his anger began to fade, replaced by exhaustion and familiar loneliness. He slipped to the cold title floor with a low grunt, staring at the blank white wall. His eyes began to close, Jeremy's face following him into the darkness.

_What is "the douche?"_

* * *

><p>Katherine lay on her bed, her face tight in worry as she stared at her unmoving phone. Stefan hadn't tried to text or call. She was worried about him, wondering what he was doing right now. Worried, that the vampires might kill him if he didn't succeed at what he assigned to do. <em>No, don't think that way. He's fine. They wouldn't want to draw that sort of attention on themselves. <em>She had a good feeling at what they wanted from listened to the sound of running water in Jeremy's room when it was cut off by the sound of the doorbell.

She sat up, listening to see who it was as Jenna's footsteps echoed towards the front door.

"Stefan!"

Her eyes widened, and she quickly opened the door and stepped out into the hallway to stare down at Stefan…who was smiling like his old self.

"Hello, Jenna. I forgot to give Katherine something back at school."

"Sure…come in! Katherine-oh there you are! Alright, I'll be in the living room."

She watched as her aunt left before she studied Stefan carefully. "Are you alone?"

"Yes." His smile didn't waver.

She nodded slowly and descended the stairs. She motioned for them to go outside and she closed the door behind her.

"Stefan, I love you. I know you didn't mean to do what you did at school. I didn't tell anyone and I don't plan to because you're being compelled by stupid vampires. I doubt there's only one. So I'm only going to say this once and be sure to tell this to the others: stay away from me and my family or else I won't hesitate to use."

Stefan's smile faded, replaced by a look of sincere confusion. "What are you talking about?"

She studied him for a long moment. "They didn't tell you the truth about me? About what they are after?"

Stefan frowned in thought. "He told me…"

Seconds passed and he didn't continue.

"He? Who's he? The vampire who compelled you?" she demanded.

"I can't tell you anything. I'm not…allowed to."

_Compelled to keep his mouth shut? Clever. _

"You can't tell me his name at least? Is he staying in town?"

"I don't know."

She sighed in frustration. "I'm a witch, alright? A good one who is willing to defend your ass and the town's from danger. I'm not letting you or anyone else get what _he _wants."

Stefan advanced on her. She pointed a finger at him in warning. "Stay back."

She didn't want to hurt him. She backed up against the wall with Stefan inches away from her. His eyes were filled with so many emotions. She felt guilt, worry, and determination fill her heart. "Are you willing to hurt me?"

It took a long moment for him to answer. Though it looked like he had to force himself to get it out. "If I have to."

She then felt herself reaching out and touching Stefan's face.

"I wanted to tell you. I was going to but…I was so afraid of how you would react."

Stefan pulled away and turned his back on her. "Katherine, please, j-just give them what they want. They'll let me go."

"He told you that?"

"No but I'm sure of it. Just give them what they want."

"I need my book." She could't memorize enough good spells to protect herself and her family if she needed to. If what she predicted was true, and other witches—probably way more powerful and more experienced than she was—were helping the vampires for whatever reason, she and others were toast. They would be able to do anything _he—they_—wanted. But what is their plan?_ Maybe they know about Tyler and his uncle. But they would easily be able to take out them, witches or not. _Vampires were stronger than werewolves when the werewolf was in human form. If the plan was only to kill the werewolves in town, it would have happened by now. She felt useless and pathetic just standing here, trying to get questions out of her clueless, compelled boyfriend.

"The best guess: you are hiding what he wants in your room." Stefan said, glancing at the door.

"I'm not letting you have it. If you're gonna come at me, then I'll just knock you out and take you—hey!"

Stefan opened the door and went inside the house. She ran after him, catching him by the arm as he headed for the stairs.

"Get out." She hissed. He jerked away and swung at her. She moved out of the way in time. She mumbled some words in Latin and suddenly Stefan became paralyzed in his spot. Stefan's eyes widened and tried to move.

"What…what did you do to me?" he gasped.

_I have to get him out of here. _

She was about to when she froze. Her mouth rounded in an 'o' of shock as she saw Jeremy appear at the top of the stairs and began to make his way down.

"Hey Stefan…" he trailed off, stopping a few steps behind her boyfriend as her cousin saw Stefan standing in an awkward position. Literally. She quickly put a finger to her lips desperately, glancing towards the living room where Jenna was working out, the TV on.

"If you don't let me go, I'll scream." Stefan warned.

She narrowed her eyes and stared Stefan straight in the eye, not pulling her finger from her lips. In seconds, Stefan opened his mouth in a cry of pain. It wasn't long before he fell unconscious. She let him go carefully and took him into her arms. Jeremy continued to stand on the stairs, mouth open in confusion and surprise. She motioned for him to be silent before she pointed outside.

"Everything alright, guys?" Jenna called from the living room. Adrenaline shot through her body and took Stefan's body outside and closed the door. She groaned as she half dragged him out towards his car in front on the curb in front of his car. Moments later she heard the door close again and glanced to see Jeremy running her way. She set Stefan down on the grass and searched for his keys in his jeans, panting.

"I told Jenna we were going out for a bit. What going on?" Jeremy demanded, eyeing Stefan.

"We were having an argument."

"So you decided to use your powers on him?"

"Yes, now move on! I need you to follow me in my car. You're going to help me take him home. Put him in the passenger's first and my keys are on my bed. Move."

Jeremy hesitated before he mumbled something and proceeded to drag Stefan into the passenger side. He closed the door and ran back inside the house. She got into the driver's and waited for Jeremy to come back outside. A couple of minutes later, he finally did and she signaled him to head to the car.

Later, she was parking Stefan's car into the driveway when Stefan stirred next to her. Much to her pain, she knocked him out again. She let out a heavy sigh and ignored her racing heart. She got out of the car and glanced at Jeremy who was climbing out behind her.

Jeremy helped her carry Stefan onto the front porch. She laid his feet carefully onto the ground to try to find the right key to the front door. Her impatience and anxiety grew with every second. After a few tries, she got the door open and balanced the keys in her hand as she nodded at her cousin to left him up and carry him inside.

"Please tell me we're leaving him on the sofa." Jeremy panted when he saw the stairs.

"We are. Follow me."

"Do I have a choice?"

She ignored him and led him carefully through the dim house, into the living room, and finally to the sofa. They both froze when they heard Stefan moan.

When he didn't continue moving, they relaxed somewhat. She placed the keys on the table and sighed. "Let's go."

He didn't protest as he was the first one to start heading out the door. She paused, reaching out and touching his cheek for a moment.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered. She quickly kissed his forehead and turned away. She paused, hesitating when she glanced at the keys. She glanced at Stefan one more time before she unhooked his car keys and left.

She was surprised Jeremy was waiting for her on the porch.

"I thought you were already home." She said, semi-serious.

"Unless you prefer to walk home."

She smirked, the thank you silently in the air. She held up the key.

Jeremy frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Taking his car."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a bitch that way."

"Good god!"

"Hey, I'm supposed to be the drama queen so let's go. I still have a test to study for."

* * *

><p>Klaus smirked as Daniel was straddling his hips, fumbling with his belt like an inexperienced virgin. He could hear the boy's heart pumping fast in his chest, probably afraid of his first impression without Steven. He could care less but he admitted it was heaven on earth when the fool wasn't around.<p>

He snorted lightly and stilled his hands with one hand while he lifted the boy's chin with the other, until brown eyes met his green.

"There will be time for that."

He didn't feel like getting off tonight. But he didn't mind messing with the human's head. He smirked at the wonder and disappointment in Daniel's eyes as he lowered his face to capture the soft lips with his own. Daniel moaned into his mouth and immediately opened for him. He decided to let the boy have his way as he slid his tongue into his mouth and explored the warm mouth. Maybe he would have to reconsider as Daniel began to grind his erection onto his hip.

Then his cellphone rang. He growled lowly in his throat. Daniel jerked back. He reached over and grabbed his phone from the glass table next to him. He checked the screen to see it was Nestor, his closest vampire helper.

"What is it?" He answered.

"Katherine knows about our stay in town, sir."

He let out a deep breath through his nose. "She's smart. That's surprising."

"I could do it, sir. Change her. I'll be easier, don't you think?"

He narrowed his eyes. Daniel watched him curiously, playing with the hem of his shirt. "Do you not trust my plan, Nestor? I can easily find someone else."

"Of course I do, sir. Forgive me."

"Continue to keep an eye on her only. I'm intrigued about what she plans to do now."

"Yes, sir."

He hung up and rolled his eyes. "Looks like there will be a slight change of plans."

"What do you mean?"

He ignored him and grabbed Daniel by his shirt and pulled him forward, continuing where they left off.

After Daniel finally left hours later, he proceeded to meet up with his hired witch, Mariana, above the town's waterfall in the woods. The mestizo and her family still owed him for saving her and her family from being lynched by the mob. She was hesitant when she learned another witch, Katherine herself, was involved in his plan but he knew she would do what was told for her family's sake.

He was watching the water flow when he heard her arrive not long later.

"What is it this time?" she asked.

"Katherine."

She paused, hearing her heart pick up slightly at the name.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of killing her…unless she gives me a reason to."

"Then?"

He turned to her, hands in his jacket pockets as he stared at her blankly. "I need you to get me her spell book. Stefan isn't going to be useful as I thought; knowing about our existence now. Thankfully at least not names yet, but, I know now she'll keep her book more protected than ever. And I know you can break through any barrier she puts up."

She nodded curtly and focused on the trees around them. "Tonight?"

"Let's not be stupid. I'm not afraid of what she could do. She's only a beginner. I'll let you know when to start."

"Anything else?"

"Do you have the spell ready for the main event?"

"It wasn't hard to find the spell for it. But I'll tell you again, I won't take part in anything else beyond that."

He smiled. "I remember. That will be all tonight."

She turned and walked away without another word. He looked up at the half crescent moon in the dark sky for a moment before he smirked and went on his way.

* * *

><p>Stefan groaned when he woke up, only to feel his head pounding. Then he remembered what happened. He sat up, wincing at the pain as he looked around his settings. Anger, confusion, fear, and betrayal filled him. He remembered everything perfectly. Katherine had stopped him with…magical witch powers—<em>Jesus<em>—when he tried to go inside the house to take what the blonde man needed. He threatened to call for help when his head was bursting with agonizing pain. It must have lasted seconds before he passed out. At some point, he thought he woke up again only to get knocked out again.

The defense against him he understood; he wasn't stable. But to…hide something like this from him. Did Jeremy even know?

"About time. I don't usually feel so patient but I'm feeling in a good mood tonight."

He quickly stood up and faced the couch where the blonde freak stood with his usual cocky smile.

"W-what are you doing here?" he demanded.

The man ignored his question, walking around the couch as he teasingly traced a fingertip over the fabric. "You blew it."

"Well you didn't exactly tell me I was trying to steal a…witch's spell book."

"I meant at the park. You were demanding and she now realizes we are in town."

"Who's _we_?"

The blonde not surprisingly ignored him. "Now Pierce doesn't trust you anymore as long as I'm alive. At least something came out of my attempt with you."

Suddenly, the man was right in front of him.

"I release you."

He blinked once. Twice.

He was alone.

* * *

><p>Mason's eyes widened when he saw Matt's car parked in front of his house.<p>

He parked the car behind his mate's and walked to the driver's seat. He peeked inside and saw the car was empty. But Matt's scent was still lingering around. His gaze rose to his house and couldn't help a little grin.

* * *

><p>Matt was sitting quietly on Mason's couch, staring at the dark screen of the T.V. as he played with the keys in his hand. He jumped in surprise when the front door opened. Seconds later, Mason stepped inside, his eyes not leaving his as the door was closed and locked.<p>

Mason stayed by the door, watching and waiting for him to go first.

"Hey." He simply greeted lamely.

"Hey…how was work?"

"Normal. I got changed to register now. The guy supposedly got some type of surgery and won't be back for a couple of days."

Mason nodded.

He looked around the house awkwardly. "Getting pretty cold outside." He said, "But I guess you wouldn't feel it."

"Matt…"

"And I also quit football."

Mason frowned. "Because of me?"

"No. I just feel like I could use the time to do something else. Work or homework; that kind of thing."

The werewolf just stared at him.

He didn't really know exactly what he had come for. An apology? Most likely. But he could see now Mason Lockwood was just has hard headed as his nephew.

He stood up. "I have to get going. I just wanted to come by and tell you about that."

Nothing.

He then walked over to where he was standing but Mason didn't move.

"Excuse me."

Suddenly he was grabbed and pinned against the door, a warm, possessive mouth on his. Mason pulled away and he stared into the werewolf's light grey eyes, panting slightly. He'd seen the expression before: lust, possession, and something else he couldn't quite place. He leaned back against the door and shook his head lightly in disbelief. Something told him this was the Lockwood apology. He confirmed this when Mason smirked.

"You're such an asshole."

"Mmhm." Mason replied absentmindedly and kissed him again.

Matt broke the kiss and stared into the man's eyes. "I will only accept the apology if you fuck me doggie style against the wall tonight."

Mason's nostrils flared and he kissed him again.

* * *

><p>Once upstairs and out of Jenna's hearing, Jeremy turned to stare at his cousin who stared back blankly.<p>

"Stefan knows now. What do you plan to do? Unless that knock out erased tonight memories."

She shook her head, not seeming nervous at all. "No but I'll handle this on my own."

"Why did you do that, Kat? Did you finally tell him about the real you? Did he react in a bad way?"

She pressed her lips together for a moment. "Something like that. I'm sure he'll get over it. Like I said, I'll handle it. But appreciate your concern. Goodnight."

"But…"

"_Goodnight_, Jeremy." She said firmly before she closed the door behind her.

Katherine wouldn't just harm her boyfriend because of some argument. Stefan wasn't the type of guy at all to suddenly turn aggressive. At least, not if he had to defend himself but Katherine was only a hundred twenty something pound girl of salad and Special K compared to Stefan's two hundred something pound of muscle. Katherine had to be hiding something.

* * *

><p>Mason lifted Matt onto the dining table and sucked on the hot patch of skin on the boy's throat as he unbuttoned the shirt. A thought to puncture the pale skin returned. He wondered how the blood would taste. Sweet? Or just the same nasty copper? His mind raced forward to the mating again, when he would finally fuck Matt into submission. He was sure he had to bite him to do that.<p>

Matt tangled his fingers into his curly hair and he gave him better access. His tightness grew painfully in his jeans as he slowly grinded his hips into his mate's, wanting to be inside the tight heat.

His mouth trailed down the now exposed chest, sucking and biting the crimson-colored nipples slightly past the point of pain. Matt moaned deeply, pulling up the hem of his shirt up. An idea suddenly popped into his mind. The image was so intense, he couldn't help but lick his lips. He pulled away.

"I'll be right back."

Matt stared with surprise as Mason walked into the kitchen. He huffed softly with disbelief but wondered what the older man was up to.

Moments later, he could practically feel his pupils widen with arousal as Mason came back with a bottle of what it looked like bottled honey. He wanted to pour it on Mason and lick it off.

He smirked. "Change your mind?" he teased, making a move to get off. Mason stopped him and shook his head. The werewolf's eyes were serious but intense.

"Strip quickly. Then bend over."

His cock twitched when the command left the werewolf's lips. Cause that's what it was; a command. The way he said it, and the way he was staring back at him made him want to come right then and there.

He smirked as he did what he was told. Then reached down to undo his belt. By now, his erection felt suffocating inside his jeans. Mason's eyes followed his hand as it slipped off the belt and unbuttoned his jeans. Eventually, he was naked and bending over like Mason told him.

"Touch yourself."

His cheeks burned slightly in embarrassment but went with it. He reached down and grabbed onto his aching dick, stroking carefully. He let out a shaky breath when his thumb brushed the slick skin of his head.

"Good boy."

His eyes fluttered closed as Mason leaned back against him and pushed his head to the side to swipe his tongue against the skin of his neck. He pauses his stroking when he hears the bottle open. Seconds later, his ass was thrusting back against the werewolf as his fingers carefully rubbed honey inside the crack of his ass. He heard the loud fall of the bottle from behind.

"Oh…o-oh my god!" he panted out, nailing scratching into the smooth surface of the table.

Once Mason thought he was covered enough he felt Mason get on his knees and start eating his ass. His legs almost gave under him as he held onto the table like his life depended on it. Mason suckled and licked his ass like a favorite lollipop. He resumed touching himself, knowing it wouldn't be long before he came. But just before he did, his hands were slapped away from his now sloppy erection.

"Hey!" he protested when Mason stood up.

"Shut up." The older man growled, leaning over him and licking his neck again.

He could practically feel the older man smile as the cock slid entirely into him at once. His head went limp at the pleasure as the huge dick easily sliding into him. Mason's fingers gripping him by the hair, bringing his head up and moved to the side to better expose his neck. His nails dug into the smooth, hard wood of the table as Mason began to thrust slowly. He began to see spots dancing around his vision. Right when he thought he was about to come Mason grabbed him by the hips and threw him against the wall, pressing his body tight to the surface.

"Was it this that what you wanted," the werewolf growled as he pounded into him.

"Oh yes."

* * *

><p>Mason pressed his forehead onto the shoulder as his cock slid easily in and out of the tight flesh in front of him.<p>

He heard the loud, wet sound as Matt resumed stroking himself. As his thrusts picked up the pace, the thought to bite the soft flesh returned. Pants, grunts, and moans echoed through the house as he took his hand off from Matt's hair and reached over and under to place his hand on top of the other's desperate moving hand.

As orgasm approaches, he kisses his mate's shoulder. "I need…"

He hesitated.

"W-whatever you want. Take it."

"I need…"

He buried his face into the boy's neck, inhaling the scent there.

"I'm…almost…

He snarled and sunk his teeth into the soft flesh.

"Ah!"

He heard…felt…Matt come as he thrust back against him as he came. Hot, thick spurts fell onto both their hands.

When the first drop of blood fell onto his tongue, he came soon after. The exquisite liquid held no trace of copper. He tasted…pure paradise. Addicting and oh so very sweet. Something honey could never compare to.

He rode out the last bit of his orgasm with hard, quick thrusts. He pulled away when the boy fell limp against the wall and Mason had to catch him before he would slide down to the ground. He had to wait a moment until his head and senses cleared before he raised the boy up and held him close to his chest.

"Matt?"

Nothing.

Concern grew in his gut. He picked him up and carried him bridal style into his bedroom and placed him onto the bed.

"Matt." He insisted when the boy didn't open his eyes.

Soft moan.

"You okay?"

* * *

><p>Matt felt dead. In a good way, if it was possible. His body still hummed with the afterglow of his orgasm. He didn't expect the bite, but the sharp pain and pleasure had been the push over the edge. He didn't mind if Mason bit him again. Weird, but true; it had been hot. A part of him told him that he shouldn't do it too often though.<p>

"You okay?" he heard Mason ask.

He managed to find the energy from somewhere to open his eyes half way. "Tired as fuck."

Relief filled the man's face but quickly disappeared by arrogance. "Then I congratulate myself."

He didn't have the energy to roll his eyes so instead he just closed them again.

"Want me to call your sister?"

"She knows."

* * *

><p>By the time Mason came back inside the room to sleep, he was surprised to see his mate was already under the covers, slightly snoring. He smirked as went into the bathroom. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, savoring the lingering taste of the boy's blood in his mouth before brushing his teeth. Later, he joined the blonde in bed, spooning against him from behind. He softly inhaled the boy's scent and softly smirked in approval when he realized Matt smelled like… <em>him<em>.

He spent a good time staring at his bite mark peeking at him half way above the shoulder before he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Kyle was as happy as a clam. He managed to climb into his room within <em>minutes <em>before his mom knocked on the door. Before Brent left, Kyle promised him to text him that night for their next meet. The memory made his heart skip a beat. He wanted to see Brent and Louis again. Maybe not as much as he wanted to see Jeremy but…the other two boys—men—gave him Jeremy couldn't. Feeling that someone else, somewhere, wanted him made him have the energy to get him through the day and have something to look forward to in the future.

After school, he went to the school library to start researching for his new world history project before he drove home a few hours later. After greetings and the usual bickering between his sister and mother over boys and grades, he excused himself upstairs and locked the door behind him. Thankful he showered that morning, he managed to take the longest nap of his life. When he awoke a little after seven, he finally got a message. But it wasn't from Kyle.

_Hey it's Louis. __Brent__ got held up with work in school. When are you free?_

_**Any time you want me to be. **_

_How does Saturday sound?_

* * *

><p>Note: Review please? :3 And sorry for more drama between Jyler. But it's going to be worth the trouble. You'll see.<p> 


	44. Caroline

First Time for Everything

Chapter 44

Note: Very big apologies for the long wait. Inspiration lacks on some days.

Booboo: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I know it's late, very sorry. I hope you had a wonderful day! Thankies very much for the review!

Inkharbour: Yeah so sorry for the lack of fast updates! Though welcome to Fanfiction! Personally, it's my top favorite site :) Thank you very much for the support even though the first twenty something chapters had a lot of mistakes on them hehe! If you didn't notice then yay :P

* * *

><p>"It's not like you to make mistakes brother."<p>

Klaus glared at his sibling. "I told you, Elijah, I never gave away any of our identities. It doesn't matter if Salvatore goes to Katherine. The girl isn't like Mariana."

Elijah didn't look convinced. "You've always made things sound so easy."

"Say what you want. You're not even trying to do anything."

Elijah simply shrugged and excused himself to go find himself his breakfast. Klaus glanced over at Nestor who was watching him blankly in return.

"Elijah doesn't trust my plan. He also seems to have a soft spot for Jeremy."

"What do you mean, sir?"

Klaus waved it off with a single gesture. "Old story: old times, vampire falls in love with a human, tells her the truth, it all gets discovered and the girl's father ends up dead. Elijah felt horrible and left Lorena a letter explaining everything before he left her."

"He never saw her again?"

The act of caring in Nestor's tone amused him. "We read she later got married and had three children. Secretly, I'm sure that broke my brother. But it doesn't matter now. I have things to do."

* * *

><p>Matt smiled as he heard a pair of strong hands wraps around him from behind. Then he winced in surprise when he feels a soft press of lips against his neck bite.<p>

"Ow. Don't do that."

"Does it hurt?"

"A little. You better be thankful I could wear a scarf or else I'd have to punch you." he added.

Mason said nothing. _Seriously, does this guy even know the word 'sorry' even exists?_

He turned the bacon over with the spatula. "I hope you don't mind if I used your shower."

"I do."

Mason let go and leaned against the counter top next to him and added, "Unless you invite me."

He rolls his eyes. "I should have left, you'll be late for work."

"You're too nice."

"I won't be if the bite gets infected."

"It won't…just keep it clean."

"I hate you."

During breakfast, he noticed Mason staring at him silently.

"What?"

"I was thinking…"

He shook his head, glancing back down to his plate. "Nope."

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"Is it about sex?"

"No."

"Oh. Then, you were saying?"

Mason smiled. "I was going to ask you if you and your sister had any plans for Christmas."

"Not really. Why?"

"Have you guys ever been to Costa Rica?"

* * *

><p>Stefan sat in bed, head in his hands. He couldn't decide go to school and face Katherine or just wait another day to collect himself before he did. Honestly, he was scared of Katherine, of what she could do even though she told him she was actually a good person. <em>A witch. <em>He winced at that. Double wince when he remembered that vampires existed too. His head shot up at that, his eyes wide as his mouth dropped open slightly at a new thought. What if Katherine had somehow manipulated him into liking her? What if his feeling for her was a lie? Some type of game of hers?No. Why would she suddenly decide to go after him when she refused every guy that ever asked her out at school? She never hung out with anybody. For all everyone body knew, the girl was a loner or just thought she thought of herself too good for them. She told him she would be protecting her family from him and the blonde. She had knocked him out twice and took him home without literal physical harm.

He had been the one to try to punch her in the face. He realized something else too. If Katherine was the good guy she stated to be then he could give her the information she knew to try to somehow take the guy out. He didn't have any proof that the man had attacked him. Plus, it seemed the guy seemed to have the power to forcibly do anybody to do anything.

He sighed heavily and took an Advil for his growing headache. He decided to bring a note tomorrow for school. He stood up and closed the curtains in his room and unplugged the landline phone in the room. He then climbed back into bed and pulled the covers over his head, snuggling into his pillow. He'll talk to Katherine later. He trusts the town would still be there by the end of the night.

* * *

><p>Kyle preferred to be hung on a rope by his balls than go out with the family. But that Thursday morning he was extra nice, even to his sister.<p>

"You've been checking your phone every five seconds." Gabriela commented as he stood up from the table.

His eyes met hers and he shrugged. "You do too."

"Do not!"

He just smiled at her, not falling for her bait. "Have a great day at school, Gabi."

"Did you just nickname me?"

"Maybe I did."

She shook her head in disbelief as he dumped his dishes into the sink. His father than came into the kitchen.

"Morning." The man greeted as he went over to kiss their heads and grab coffee.

"Another long night?" he asked.

"Too long."

His mom came in next with the newspaper in her hand.

He went over and kissed her cheek.

"You're in a very good mood today aren't you? Why is that?" his mom asked, eyeing him with a smile.

"What? I can't just be happy?"

He went up the stairs when his mom called out, "Then I'll be expecting for it to stretch out through the weekend. Your grandparents are coming tomorrow morning."

He froze.

"Kyle?"

"Yeah…of course." He forced out calmly. He didn't mind his dad's parents coming. Especially grandma; it was his grandpa he couldn't stand. The old man ignored him when he wanted. It hurt him but whatever, just that if they were coming over for this weekend…

"But I can still go out this weekend?"

He turned around just as mom poked her head in through the kitchen entrance to look at him with surprise. "Who you going out with?"

"His imaginary girlfriend." Gabi said from the kitchen.

He ignored his sister. "You don't know him. It's a guy from outta town, he's really nice."

She stared at him, thinking it over. "What's his name?"

"Brent."

"How old is he?"

"Mom I'm going to be late for school!" he protested.

"How old?"

"Nineteen."

She placed both hands on her hips. "Pretty strange for a guy that age to want to hang out with a younger boy."

"It's not. I'm going to turn eighteen in July anyway. Like I said he's really nice and he doesn't smoke or drink."

"I hope not."

"Honey, be happy for the boy. He's starting to make friends. Why stop him from having fun?" dad protested from the kitchen.

Mom rolled her eyes. "You would be thinking about it twice if it was your parents coming over, Eugene!"

"I'm just saying to let Kyle have some fun. He's always been around to spend time with his grandparents. But yes, Kyle, at least spend some time with them before you leave though…to make your mom happy."

He smiled when mom began to start arguing with dad which meant he was dismissed.

* * *

><p>Tyler was semi panicking. He had been texting and calling Jeremy the whole day before and no response. He's been tempted to visit Jeremy personally but knew he would simply get ignored or hit in the face. <em>But what about tomorrow? <em>He almost sighed with relief when he heard Matt call out to him, grateful for some distraction. He turned to his best friend as the younger boy stepped beside him.

"Ready for the Government test?" Matt asked with a smirk.

"Hopefully."

"Did you study?"

"The best I could."

"It's multiple choice, man. If you did then you're set."

"Speaking of choices, when were you going tell me you quit the team?"

Matt quickly looked embarrassed. "Today. I was going to text you yesterday but I was…busy."

"Looking at your face, I suppose you mean with my uncle."

No reply.

"Anyway, and with offense, but now Tanner is going to take out his anger on us until the game. So thanks."

"I guess I could have told him after. Oh well, too late."

He half glared at the blonde as they walked into class. Taking seats, he licked his lips and turned his attention on the boy again after a quick glance around the class. He was going to ask about Jeremy when a sudden faint scent of blood filled his nose. It took him only seconds to realize it was coming from Matt.

He leaned over towards the blood and whispered, "Are you bleeding?"

Matt looked surprised then embarrassed, his cheeks turning slightly red as he adjusted his scarf. His best friend shook his head, swirling a finger in a circle to refer to the other students. He nodded and leaned away just as the teacher stepped into the room. His worry for his best friend slowly diminished when he realized where the bite could have come from. He remembered his uncle last night, talking about a bite.

On second thought, maybe he didn't want to know.

* * *

><p>The ride to school was completely silent until he saw Katherine giving him glances out of the corner of his eye.<p>

"Come on, you can't fool me. Tyler can't suddenly be busy enough to not give you a ride in the morning."

_You can't fool me either, cousin. _"I told you. Tyler told me that his coach is now making the team do morning practice too."

"Yeah, right."

Katherine huffed, telling him she wasn't convinced. But then her face softened slightly. "I know you're lying. But fine, you don't have to tell me. I hope whatever it is that you two are worked up about, will end soon. And…don't forget I'm here if you need to talk about anything."

He smiled. "Same to you."

Jeremy thought about Friday's dinner. He was tempted to just cancel it to give Lockwood a hard time but then he remembered that he was going to have to stay with Tyler for the rest of his life. Jenna needed to know how _sometimes_ Tyler wasn't an asshole as the whole town thought he was.

When Katherine parked the car, he held up a hand to wait as he sent Tyler a message.

**Friday is still on. Just come over after school. **

He rolled his eyes when he realized Katherine was leaning over to read the text message.

"I knew it. You two are angry."

He sighed. "Okay, Kat, congratulations. It's nothing out of ordinary. You and Stefan are fighting right now too."

"I know but Stefan is human—just tell me what's wrong!"

"Thanks for holding back."

"Tell me! Please."

He played with the zippers of his backpack. "Tyler doesn't want me been seen with him driving to school."

"That asshole!"

"Though he told me it's not going to be forever; that he's just doing it until after Christmas then he'll tell his parents! But I feel…"

"Ohhhh." The witch drawled out in realization.

"What?"

"People are talking about you two. They wonder why Lockwood would be hanging out with…you."

He rolled his eyes. "A fag. Just say it."

Katherine ignored that. "He's doing this because he doesn't want the school to know… which will eventually spread through the whole town…which will eventually include his parents…which Tyler doesn't want them to know…yet."

He stared at her in surprise. "Yes…how did you know that?"

"I guessed. Plus it's logical."

He glared. "You're taking his side then?"

"I'm on both. I can understand why he's doing this but I would also feel hurt if he didn't want to be seen with me in public."

"Alright, Dr. Phil, what should I do then? Act like it doesn't bother me?"

"No but you should have patience. But why until after Christmas?"

He blushed, hesitating for a long moment. "Don't tell Jenna. Tyler wants to take me away as a vacation."

The bell rang.

"Let's move. Keep on talking." Katherine said.

They climbed out and locked the car.

"Tyler is going to come up with a good lie for his parents and Jenna, of course."

"Well Jenna is probably going to be the challenge. Plus if he plans on taking you away _before _Christmas, good luck. But we'll see what happens."

"Yeah."

"Let's just hope he doesn't invent a girlfriend in Canada."

Jeremy didn't say anything and simply gave her a 'nobody could be that stupid' look.

* * *

><p>Katherine sat down in her seat and pulled out her cellphone. She looked through her contacts until she found Tyler.<p>

**Usually I would disapprove of a Lockwood taking my cousin away for Christmas but with your situation, I'll have to make an exception. For Jeremy, of course. Just quit being such an asshole to him OR ELSE. Now, you're going to need help with Jenna's lie. Let's hear what you got.**

A couple of minutes later, the werewolf replied: _Cause I love him and you're coming with us?_

She stared down at the message in thought. **I doubt it's gone that far yet but that wasn't bad. I'm impressed. But I can't go with you guys. I can say I am though and just go someplace out of town. **

_I don't mind you coming as long as you're not under the same roof. _

**And good god I don't want to be. But that's alright, thanks. **

_Fine. So what do I have to do? _

**Just focus on your parents and get through tomorrow's dinner. I'll handle Jenna. And I seriously would suggest taking your little "vacation" after Christmas Eve. At least school won't start again until after New Year's Day. I checked. **

_Whatever you say, boss. Thanks._

* * *

><p>Caroline parked her car and headed straight for the <em>La Boîte à Bijoux<em>, the most expensive and biggest jewelry and fashion boutique in Mystic Falls. A few weeks days ago she had laid eyes on a gorgeous fluffy brown neck wrap made from authentic rabbit's fur. Unfortunately, the mom's town sheriff position didn't give her daughter the benefit to buy a three hundred dollar scarf. So from that day on, she's been coming every day to see if it's gone on sale. She was determined to buy the wrap first before that Pierce bitch did.

Inside she ignored the greeting retailer and practically ran over to where she saw the scarf the day before. Her heart dropped when she couldn't find it. It dropped even further when she then noticed a forty percent off sale on almost every rack in the store. This time she ran over to the retailer who looked slightly scared when she saw her desperate expression.

"Where is it?" she demanded lowly.

"What?"

"Don't play that with me! The scarf you've seen me spy on everyday you've been to work! Where. Is. It? Don't you dare tell me Katherine Pierce came to buy it or…" she took a deep breath and slammed her palm on the desk. "I'm going to lose it!"

The girl opened her mouth but no sound came out. Instead, she pointed over to a shelf four racks away, her eyes wide.

"Thank you!" she said. She ran over to it and smiled when she saw it. She sighed happily and pressed it to her chest, feeling the softness of the fur with her hand. Her smile dropped when she saw the price was still too high for her to buy on her own allowance. _One eighty plus tax? Crap. _She narrowed her eyes to the front door as if expecting for Katherine to suddenly arrive. Her eagerness suddenly drove her mind to go to dangerous places. Maybe if she stole it or if she took money from her college fund her mother was saving for her...

She bit her lip and placed the scarf wrap back on top of the rack. Why did have to be the only one left? Then she realized maybe Katherine had bought one already. But she didn't want the item just for the glee in knowing she would buy it first, she really did like the scarf. It would even be useful to warm her neck, for god's sake. It wasn't like she wanted some fancy, gold watch! She huffed and walked out, feeling slightly bad for the woman who still wished her a happy day as she walked out of the store. She took out her phone from her purse and saw she had less than five minutes to get to class. She shouldn't have hit the snooze button.

"I'm sure it would look lovely on you."

She knew it was beyond creepy to know someone had watched her. She was ready to wave the guy off as she glanced up with a glare. When she saw the man who spoke, she froze. Standing in front of her was a very hot blonde man smiling down at her. She immediately checked him over, liking what she saw. The guy screamed money too.

She quickly smiled. "Thank you. I'm Caroline." She said, reaching her hand out for him to shake.

"Klaus. An honor." He said and gently took a hold of her hand. To her surprise and excitement, the guy brought the back of her hand up to his mouth for a kiss.

_Oh my god. This guy cannot be new in town. Who in their right mind would move here? Especially someone like him. _

"So…I've never seen you around? Passing through?" she asked.

"No, actually. I'm on business."

_Cha ching. _"Are you here to see the mayor?"

The man didn't answer. Suddenly she felt herself relax entirely as his eyes seemed to literally pull her in. She had the feeling she would have done anything for him.

"I need you to tell me everything going on between Tyler and his boyfriend. Become Jeremy's friend if you have to. I have some plans for them and I want to end up running smoothly so don't mess this up for me. I'll be waiting at your house. Don't leave me waiting long."

She blinked. Once. Twice. She smiled. "Okay."

"I should have gone to you in the first place. Not that Elijah should know…"

"What's in it for me?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest with a testing smirk. He stared at her for moment in disbelief. Then he rolled his eyes and stepped past her and into the shop. Her mouth dropped open and pressed her face against the glass – getting a pig-nose in the process - to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

She watched as the man grabbed the scarf and paid for it with his credit card without even once looking at the price. Minutes later, money man came out with a bag and handed it to her. She squealed and quickly took it, reaching out and taking off the tag without thinking twice and tried it on.

"Thank you, thank you…"

"Yeah, so we have a deal now."

"Yes we do." She paused and thought, "Oh by the way, you owe me since I'm going to get a detention for being late to class so I'll start tomorrow." She waved her fingers girlishly in a goodbye. With that, she left Klaus with an irritated frown on his face.

* * *

><p>"You are a fucking idiot." Matt told him.<p>

Tyler had told his best friend about the decision he made the morning before with Jeremy. He didn't expect for Matt to take his side this time.

"I know but I just can't let my parents know about Jeremy yet. 'Yet' being the emphasized word here which no one seems to be getting!"

Tyler was glad they were able to eat outside on the football bleachers.

"So what? I still don't blame Jeremy for being pissed off right now."

"Not pissed enough to cancel the dinner. He texted me to say it's still happening."

"Good for you."

He groaned. "So you're mad at me too now."

"You've done stupid things in the past too. Just don't let this one be your worst. There is a limit for even me."

"I know, Matt. We just have to lay low for now. Everyone will know after we come back from…wherever Jeremy chooses to go."

Matt suddenly smiled like there was no tomorrow.

"What?"

"Mason wants to take Vicky and me to Costa Rica for Christmas. He says there's a really nice beach called…a Spanish name I can't pronounce correctly."

"You're taking Vicky?"

"Mason well knows I wouldn't be able to leave Vicky alone for two weeks. I know she's seventeen but I'm the only family she has. Anyway, I'd feel pretty fucking horrible if I just left her here when I'm having fun at the beach."

"You guys are gonna be doing things I'm sure she wouldn't like to hear."

Matt smirked. "I'm sure she's going to have a place close by. Though I feel bad cause I know I can't give him something like this back soon."

"I'm sure he doesn't mind." He paused and glanced at the grey colored scarf under his black jacket. "You okay?"

Matt frowned slightly in confusion. When the blonde noticed where he was staring, he snorted. "Fine. Just hope it'll heal soon."

"Did it hurt?"

"Duh."

"Look on the bright side; you got your first real hickey."

Matt snorted and playfully shoved at him. "Asshole."

They stayed in silence while they finished off their lunch when Matt suddenly frowned in thought. "Do you think what they're saying about Katherine is true?"

"I honestly don't care. Chelsea literally tripped against me before lunch and told me to fuck her against the school lockers."

"Chelsea who?"

He smirked. "Dorlan's ex-girlfriend."

"Ah. Victim number three hundred and something."

"Seems like such a long time ago."

"So what did you do? Push her away, right?"

"I was about to when she grabbed my hand and pushed up her skirt. Right in the hallway. She smelled like she was on something."

"Must've been quite a show."

"I'm sure it wouldn't have bothered me too much if Jeremy hadn't come to town. I don't know about you but I don't remember the last time I even flirted with a girl."

"Cause they don't interest you anymore."

It wasn't a question. Tyler looked over at Matt who stared at the school building with a look of understanding.

"Do you miss it?" Matt asked a moment later. "How it was before he came to town?"

It took him a long time to answer. Eventually the lunch bell rang.

"I don't know. Though things seem to be getting easier. Like even Dorlan isn't bothering us anymore. He gives me looks sometimes but he doesn't say anything."

"Though he still likes to give you shit out in the field."

"I can tolerate that."

Matt laughed.

* * *

><p>Jeremy glared down at his disgusting supposed meatloaf. He couldn't dare himself to eat it unless he had a death wish.<p>

"Jeremy, eat."

He glanced over at Katherine who was staring down at her food like poison.

"I'll eat when you eat."

Katherine moved her tray away and rested her cheek on her palm, looking gloomy.

He didn't know if she heard the gossip of the day. But somehow his cousin didn't bother telling him about a supposed fight she had with Stefan during lunch the day before. It couldn't be such a coincident with what happened last night and her mood.

"Please tell me the rumors aren't true." He mumbled.

Katherine simply shrugged.

His eyes widened in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell me? How much of it is true?"

"Stefan was just in a weird mood. He went a little too far so I had to hit him."

She said it with such a bored tone, if he didn't know any better, he would have thought she was just playing along.

"What's a little too far?" he demanded.

She finally looked at him. But he was surprised her expression turned into a glare. "Butt out!"

He glared back now. "I'm just worried! Do you keep forgetting we're family?"

Katherine glared at him silently for a moment longer before she huffed with frustration and shifted away until her back was turned on him. "He just grabbed my hand a little too roughly, okay?"

"That's all? Why would he do that?"

Katherine didn't reply.

He then mimicked her action and glowered across campus at the trees. He watched as the light wind rocked some of the brightly colored orange and brown leaves off the branches and onto the dirt below. Somehow the scene was relaxing and slowly he felt himself closing his eyes and wishing he could be whisked away be wind too. Forget about werewolves and such a hateful world.

The quiet atmosphere and the printed image of dropping leaves must have made him doze off for a moment. He jumped when Katherine gently shook his shoulder.

"Huh?" he asked, inhaling deeply through his nose as he tried to focus.

"We should go inside."

He glanced at the trees again and saw they were swaying from side to side, the branching bouncing harder than before and the sound reaching his ears. The wind was making the atmosphere temperature drop further.

Jeremy stood up and stretched a bit before he took his tray and followed behind Katherine. Later, she somehow managed to convince the cafeteria lady to take back their lunches before the bell rang. In the back of his mind he knew the lady was just going to throw them away too.

"You're making me feel bad now." He said, unappreciatively.

"About what?"

"Tyler."

She stared at him for a moment before she rolled her eyes. "I, Dr. Phil, say that you should talk to him tomorrow after dinner about it. I agree with Tyler that you two should lay low because hopefully Jenna will let Tyler come over so you could hang out and…do homework. And I really do mean homework."

He couldn't help but smirk. "I know. Me too."

"I'll do my best for Jenna to warm up to Tyler. I don't like him much either still but since you two are going to be together until death do you part, then I'll have to suck it up."

He lost the amusement when he saw Tyler heading his way with Matt. It wasn't long before Tyler spotted him too and locked eyes.

"See you after school." he said quickly to Katherine before he ran off. Yeah, he was a chicken but he also didn't want to be late for class.

* * *

><p>Matt laughed as he watched Jeremy practically run for his life pass them.<p>

"And I thought my relationship was weird."

Tyler gave him a hard glare before he walked away.

He watched him go for a moment before he shrugged and headed for his own class.

* * *

><p>Vicky smiled as she saw Katherine come into class, looking like she would rather be dead than at school. No surprise there.<p>

"Hey." She told the older girl.

"Hey, Vicky. How are you?"

"Apparently couldn't be any worse than you. Is it true you broke up with Stefan."

Katherine scoffed. "No. We just had a normal fight at school. Okay, maybe not so normal but he deserved to be hit in the face, that's all I'm going to say."

She nodded, understanding.

"Hey, I'm sorry for blowing off your text sometimes. I don't mean to ignore you."

She waved if off.

"I really don't. So how about I make it up to you. Why don't we leave town and go shopping this Saturday?"

"That'd be awesome! But I don't have so much cash with me."

"Like I said I'll make it up to you. But no arguments! Think of this as your early Christmas presents cause I'm buying."

She couldn't sit through class. She wanted to tell Katherine about her lunch hero but she ended up keeping this one to herself.

* * *

><p>Steven's rugged breath was muffled as he sucked the girl's patch of skin on her mocha colored neck, his condom covered cock sliding into her soft, wet channel. He could have chosen a rather different, more comfortable, place than the risky locker rooms but his hormones got the best of him. When he came moments later, he bit down onto her delicate skin and drank a good couple of mouthfuls, loving the euphoric feeling as the dark liquid flowed over his tongue and down his throat.<p>

As soon as he afterglow faded, he licked the wound clean and gave her some of his blood to heal. He pulled back his hand and wiped off any remainders on a paper towel before he disposed the condom and got dressed. After, the girl wrapped her hands around him and looked up at him.

"See you again?"

He said nothing as he held back the urge to just drink her dry. He then stared into her eyes. "What just happened?"

Her expression went blank. "Sex."

"And when are you going to take that scarf off?"

"In my bathroom at home."

"Go to class."

The girl nodded dumbly and picked up her stuff before she left. He listened as the door opened and closed seconds later and waited for a couple of minutes until the first person came into the room before he left too.

He was surprised when Daniel came into class late and received detention. The little idiot was never late unless it had something to do with him. Though even with detention, he saw the news didn't bother the guy too much.

He narrowed his eyes when Daniel didn't sit by him. He watched as the human sat in a random desk on the other side of the classroom without bothering to look in his direction. Then he noticed something else too.

A smile. Oh, but not just any smile…

He felt his hand grip his pencil until it broke in half. Some people turned to stare at him but he couldn't bring himself to give two fucks.

"Mr. Dorlan?" the teacher asked.

"Fine." He gritted out, watching as Daniel immediately lost his smile.

_Just you wait, Danny boy. Just you wait._

* * *

><p>Vicky had sat in the passenger's seat of the car with no reaction as the school bell rang for another lunch to come to an end. She took her last bite of her bean burrito as another tear slid down her cheek and onto the flour tortilla. She sniffled as she chewed and froze slightly when two students walked across the front of the car, laughing about something. Her gaze lowered down to her used napkins on her lap. She sniffled again and slid down further onto the passenger seat of the truck. She pulled out her small cellphone from her jean pocket as if she expected for someone to be texting or calling her. Of course no one seemed to even remember she existed anymore. Matt maybe but she was sure he would prefer to be with Mason then with his loner of a sister.<p>

She swallowed and wiped away another tear that fell, hating herself for being weak. Suddenly, she jumped when someone knocked her window. It took her a moment to recognize who it was, smiling down at her.

She swallowed and yelled angrily, "Ricky, you stupid fuck! You scared the shit out of me!" She banged the side of her fist once against the glass. She then opened the door and eyed him questionably.

"Hey, Vicky. How's it going? Been awhile since you've hang out with us." Ricky said, managing not to stammer like he usually did.

She grimaced. Ricky was the head crack head she used to buy her drugs and beer from. Mostly stuff he managed to sneak out of his run down trailer where he lived with his abusive father and step mother, along with his step two year old baby sister, Emily. She remembered Emily when she saw her a year ago; the sweetest little thing she's ever seen, unlike her trash talk mother who looked no older than thirty and had a cigarette too many. She's come to hate Ricky's step mother less, being the source of the eye opener that made her see that one day she might be that thirty year old high school dropout who lived on the other side of town.

"Yeah…how've you been?" she asked slowly, knowing the guy was probably high.

"G-Good." _There it was. _

There was a short moment of silence before she grabbed her stuff and car keys, waiting for Ricky to move back so she could climb off. She closed the door and locked the car.

"It was nice seeing you, Rick." She said, walking towards the building.

"Wait!" Ricky protested.

The desperate tone of his voice made her stop. She sighed and looked at him.

Ricky looked around for a moment before he reached into his baggy black jeans and pulling out an orange prescription bottle.

_Shit. _

The sixteen year old freshman looked up at her with blood shot eyes. "Want some? They're ten bucks a pill. Real good stuff."

"Ricky—

"For you, I'll throw in a second one for free. Just for today. Sound good?"

"No, Ricky, but thank you. I have to go to class. You should too."

She walked past him but winced when she felt him grab onto her arm . Hard.

"Hey!"

"Come on! Just one! Help me out!"

"I don't want anything!"

Ricky's face suddenly twisted into a snarl and pushed her against the hood of the truck, making her bag and food fall onto the ground.

"I know you have money, Vicky! Just one fucking pill!"

Her eyes widened, her mouth dropping open when she saw Ricky raise a balled fist, ready to hit her.

"I wouldn't do that."

She jerked her head to the side to see a dark haired man she didn't recognize. Maybe in his late twenties to mid-thirties, wearing an elegant looking black tux, despite the cold outside. Handsome, and very much staring intensely at Ricky, his hands hooked together in front of him in a casual pose. Though his words held no tone that told otherwise.

"This is none of your business!" Ricky yelled, letting her go and taking a step towards the stranger.

The handsome stranger said nothing. Instead, it shocked her to see the man step off the curb and walk towards Ricky who looked frightened but also ready to strike.

"Don't ever speak or come near this young lady again." The man told Ricky. The words were both calm but held a knowing command as if the man knew Ricky would obey. It was probably one of the longest moments of her life until she was shocked again to see Ricky agree with a simple nod of his head.

"Go." The man said again. Ricky nodded again and silently placed the bottle in his pocket before he walked away. She watched Ricky leave before she looked back her hero. He smiled and held up his hands in a motion of no harm.

"Thank you." she finally managed to find her voice. "Who are you?"

The stranger placed down his hands and crossed them again and coming to stand in front of her. "Elijah. Are you alright?"

She blushed and she mentally slapped herself. "Victoria. And yeah, I'm fine thanks to you."

When he said nothing, she smiled and held out a hand for him to shake. He reached out and took hold of it, her eyes widening as he brought it up to his lips and placed a small kiss on the back of her hand before gently letting go.

Another moment of silence came between them. She didn't know what to do or say. The guy had saved her life, and she felt like she needed to give more than just a lame "thanks" to him.

"Well I'm happy to know you're safe now, miss. Be careful next time." He tipped his head at her in goodbye and turned away to leave.

"Wait." She said, but came out a little too soft. Surprisingly, he heard her and looked back at her again. "Would you…like to have dinner with me or something after school? There's a restaurant not far from here called The Grill and…"

She trailed off, realizing what she was offering. _I'm inviting a freaking stranger to have dinner with me? For all I know he could also be a crazy crack head too! Or worse! What the hell is wrong with me? So what if he's hot…and…just saved my life…. _

Elijah smiled and walked over to her. Her heart beat quickened slightly in fear, not knowing what he was doing.

"Go to class, Vicky. Forget I was ever here."

* * *

><p>"Why don't we do something fun this Saturday?" Jenna suddenly asked during dinner.<p>

Katherine and he exchanged a surprised glance.

"How about bowling? And maybe a movie?" Jenna continued, smiling as she looked between Katherine and him.

One with more exchange, Katherine answered first, "I actually invited Vicky to go shopping with me this Saturday."

"That's fine. Maybe Jeremy would like to bring Matt."

He smirked. "How about Tyler?"

Jenna made a noise in the back of her throat and took of a swallow of her lemonade.

He saw Katherine give him a look.

"Fine I'll bring Matt."

Jenna's smile returned. "Alright so Saturday it is!"

Awhile later, he decided to call Anna in person to tell her he would be canceling their Saturday hangout. He thought of asking Jenna if he could invite a friend but that would only mean she would kind of end up being a third wheel.

"Hey, Jeremy! What's up?" Anna greeted, cheerfully. He felt horrible but it wasn't like it was going to be the end of the world.

"Hey. I wanted to…"

"Wait, wait, wait! So I was thinking maybe we can rent that new Resident Evil movie! It just came out on DVD! Have you seen it?"

"No."

"Sweet! So what time are you coming over? Maybe you can have dinner with us!"

He stood up from his bed and nervously scratched the back of his head.

"Anna, I actually called to tell you that I won't be able to make it on Saturday."

No reply.

He began to pace, waiting for her to respond. Seconds passed and nothing, which didn't help his conscious.

"I'm so sorry." He said softly. "I really do want to hang out more with you but my aunt asked Katherine and me to hang out as a family on Saturday and Katherine reacted like a bitch. So I couldn't refuse. Plus I feel bad for her because I know she feels lonely. You understand, right?"

"Yeah." She finally said, sighing. "Yeah. I understand." There was a pause. "Sometimes I think you're angel from heaven. I honestly do."

He chuckled.

"But I totally get it and I would have done the same thing in your situation. So we'll hang out another time."

Then a female voice called for dinner in the background.

"That's my mom; she's calling me for dinner. I'll talk to you later."

"No problem. See ya."

He hung up and sighed, rubbing at his tired eyes. He looked down at his backpack sitting by his desk, almost screaming at him about his unfinished homework. He rolled his eyes and walked over to his table, sitting down and setting his phone aside as he turned on his lamp light to start his fun English homework.

* * *

><p>Tyler was being a creeper as he stared up at Jeremy's bedroom window. He heard everything and he felt bad for feeling happy to hear his mate won't be hanging out with that Anna girl. Not that he was thrilled to know Jeremy would be going out of town this weekend without him. He tore his eyes away from the window to stare down at the screen of his Samsung Captive. After a long moment, he sent his text message.<p>

_Can we talk please? I never said I didn't want to see you anymore. _

Jeremy glanced up from his textbook when he heard the loud vibration from his phone. He groaned lowly when he saw who it was. _Five points for Katherine_, he thought when he read the message.

He blew out a puff or air from the side of his mouth before he replied:

**Alright, but the least you can do is call me then.**

"I could call the cops on your ass for trespassing but I'm sure Jeremy wouldn't like that too much."

He didn't flinch as he slowly glanced to the side to stare at Katherine who didn't look happy to see him at all, despite the conversation from this morning. He had heard her coming long ago.

"Probably not." he agreed cautiously.

Katherine stared at him for a moment longer before she briefly moved her eyes over Jeremy's window.

His cellphone then beeped once in his hand, indicating Jeremy—at least he hoped- had texted back.

"I helped him understand that what you decided was logical. You're welcome."

He nodded once before he noticed for the first time the thick book in her hands. He wanted to ask what she was up to but decided it was none of his business.

"I was hoping I'd talk to your cousin."

She shrugged. "It's up to him. Goodnight, Tyler."

He watched, frowning in confusion and utter surprise as the brunette began to walk off towards the woods. He turned and called out, "Whoa, what are you doing?"

"Personal stuff. Don't worry about it."

"You going to be okay? It's cold out!"

She raised a hand in a silent "yes" without turning around. He watched for a moment longer when he eventually couldn't see her in the almost darkness.

He focused back on his cellphone. **Mind if I come up instead?**

* * *

><p>Katherine sat down on a high budging root of a tree and opened her book to the first page. She listened carefully for any signs of supernatural disturbance as she carefully looked at the contents. She remembered one certain interesting spell she had read about briefly once a while ago. Something about a witch type compulsion. It hadn't sounded easy—the most important ones never are- but she hoped to start with that. But first she had to find it; unfortunately, the book didn't come with a table of contents. <em>One page down, three hundred and fifty six to go. <em>_If I ever find the time I will give that thing an index._

* * *

><p>Jeremy shoved his hands into his front sweatshirt pockets as he closed his bedroom door behind him. For some reason he thought it was a good idea for him to go to Tyler. Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew where they fated to head by the end of their conversation. The last thing he needed was Jenna overhearing and busting into the room to see her nephew being fucked in her own house. That would be goodbye tomorrow's dinner and hello restraining order.<p>

He went down the stairs and into the living room where he found Jenna sitting in front of the television with a bowl of ice cream.

"Aunt Jenna…"

She jumped and glanced at him, putting a spoon-held hand over her heart. "Jesus, don't do that!"

"Sorry…I just wanted to tell you that I wanted to go outside for a bit for some fresh air."

She stared at him for a moment before she raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Fresh air huh? That's what your cousin told me too."

"Oh."

She waved it off. "Fine. Just be careful."

"I will."

He left out the back and around to the back of the house. Tyler was leaning against the side, staring across to the now dark forest. He glanced at him when he rounded the corner. He slowed his pace and stopped a couple of feet away. Neither said anything as they awkwardly just stared at each other, hoping the other would start first. He crossed his arms over his chest when he began to feel the now almost familiar sensation of his scary bold, horny side. Which wasn't too far off from normal but that wasn't the point. This side scared him. And Tyler looked fucking hot in all black.

"I forgive you." he began quickly. "I still don't entirely feel comfortable with your decision but on some part, you're right. We should lay low or I guess people and your parents will eventually figure it out. There, case closed. I'll see you tomorrow."

Tyler perked up at this. Either the guy didn't hear him or chose to ignore the last part. Tyler then leaned off the wall and took a step towards him. "So we're okay again?"

He hesitated. "For now. Can you please go? Jenna might see."

Tyler smirked and slowly advanced on him. "Didn't stop you last time."

He backed up, eyes widening. "Wait a minute."

In seconds, he found himself pushed onto the side of the house, a grunt escaping his lips. He looked up to see Tyler smirking at him. He pressed a hand against his chest, trying to push Tyler away as the guy leaned to kiss him.

"Okay, when I said 'I forgive you' it wasn't a signal phase for 'shut up and fuck me'." he commented irritated.

"Maybe it should be."

Tyler, being stronger, held locked both his wrists in his hand. Tyler's sweet smell filled his nose, making his lower regions tingle in alert.

"Don't." he heard himself whisper as he looked away.

"Come on, take a risk with me. It's a lot more fun." Tyler mocked, his amusement and lust clear in his voice. He resisted when he felt the other's hand reach out and take a hold of his chin, firmly turning until they were eye to eye.

Tyler stared at him, searching his eyes and face, daring him to protest. Part of him wanted to; the other wanted for the town to hear them fuck each other dry. Tyler closed in the rest of the distance between them.

His eyes closed and drew in a soft, shaky breath when he felt the older boy's semi-hard cock against him.

_Damn it, Tyler. _

"Do you really want me to stop?"

His eyes trailed down to the boy's mouth._ Nope_. He closed his eyes when Tyler leaned over and brushed his lips against his for a second before taking his bottom lip between his teeth and biting down hard enough to cause him to wince. Immediately, the older boy ran his tongue soothingly over it. _Fuck it. _He latched his lips onto Tyler's before giving a firm grind of hips against the other boy's. Tyler let out a surprised yet pleasured moan into his mouth.

With his familiar boost of sudden confidence, he quickly reached to unbutton Tyler's jeans. But before he could, the guy stopped him.

He pulled back and saw Tyler's face suddenly looked nervous. Though the lust didn't seem to fade from the boy's eyes.

"What?" he asked, confused when Tyler said nothing.

"We can't do that yet."

He searched the older boy's face to see if he was joking or not. When he realized it wasn't, he scoffed in disbelief. "So blowjobs are okay but you're not willing to have sex with me?"

Tyler looked like he really wanted to say something. He sighed and pushed him away, surprised Tyler didn't protest.

"I'm starting to feel like you're having cold feet." He said, irritated. Inside, he felt furious. Furious that Tyler was maybe having second thoughts in being by his side. What was going on wasn't easy, but he didn't ask for them to get stuck together like this.

"I'm not."

"Then?"

Tyler ran his hands down his face in frustration. "I came tonight to talk to you about something."

"I texted you that dinner is still on."

"I know but there is something else. It's not going to be easy but you have to know."

* * *

><p>Tyler was semi-panicking. Hundreds of 'what ifs' were now swirling in his head, taunting him and feeling his gut with dread. But all of them came down to one: What if Jeremy didn't want him? Didn't want <em>it <em>to happen? _Fuck you, Mason. This is all so easy for you now. _Then he remembered Mason practically raped his best friend in his own house. He knew the time would have to come eventually. Who knew if Jeremy would ever trust him again if he left chance to almost entirely take part that night. Jeremy wouldn't be prepared. He had to think positive; think that maybe Jeremy would at least think about it because he was cared for enough to be warned ahead of time.

Jeremy's frown diminished slowly when he began to feel how serious the issue was. Then the boy asked something that made him freeze with surprise.

"Does your…other self not want me anymore?"

Oh no. The wolf wanted him badly. He wanted to do more than just touch his mate's cock until the boy came in his hand or mouth. He wanted so much more.

"He still does. We…both do." He was grateful the side of the house was dark enough to hide his blush.

"Then what?" Jeremy continued after a long pause.

He took a deep breath and shoved his hands into his jean pockets. "I want to take out of town for Christmas. You do imagine why right?"

Jeremy blushed this time, a hint of a smirk on the corner of his mouth. "Yeah."

"Well my uncle told me about what happens during the first time."

_Don't just push me away. _

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'll…have to let my wolf instinct out."

Jeremy's eye widened as his heart beat quickened in fear. _He has to lose control? _For a moment he let his weight fall back entirely onto the wall.

"Huh?" was all he could say.

"It sounds scarier than it is." Tyler protested quickly. "What it means is I'll just have to become rough. I might bite you at the end but it'll be _nothing _like Halloween. I _promise._"

His mind was trying hard to take it in, he didn't even notice Tyler become almost desperate as the werewolf walked over to him again. He instinctively flinched as he eyed Tyler's face for any sign of danger.

Tyler stood right in front of him but didn't reach out to touch him. "Did you hear what I said?"

The whispered words knocked him back into focus.

"I will never hurt you again. The reason why Mason…stopped us last time was to save us from cursing ourselves."

"Huh?"

Tyler smirked slightly in amusement. "When a werewolf claims his mate without the proper time aliment, according to a legend, both the werewolf and the mate will suffer a tragic death."

Tyler glanced over to the side when he heard the back screen door of the house open, followed by Jenna's slightly concerned voice.

"Jeremy? Katherine?"

Jeremy looked over, scared they might have gotten caught. Then they met eyes again and he nodded for Jeremy that it was okay for him to leave.

Jeremy gave him a small, nervous smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He watched Jeremy run in his aunt's direction, calling out her name to know he was coming.

Somehow he imagined Jeremy just told him that he needed time to digest the information. That was fine with him. He looked forward to tomorrow's dinner.

He lost his smile when he suddenly remembered something. He slowly looked down, only to see a pretty noticeable bulge against the front of his jeans.

_Shit._

* * *

><p>Daniel tried hard to listen to his friend, George, rambled on proudly about fucking some chick from his math class outside as they played out in the backyard with his father's build in gold course.<p>

"She went for my dick as soon as the door closed, man! You should have seen it—well no cause then it would have been weird—you know what I mean!" the guy said, waving it off before hitting the ball and missing the hole.

"Yeah, completely." He mumbled absentmindedly.

"Where is your mind today?"

He shrugged.

George smirked wider. "Is it a chick?"

"No."

The younger boy frowned. "Is it a guy?"

"No."

"Okay, I'm lost."

He rolled his eyes and took his turn, hitting the ball easily into the hole.

"Don't worry about it."

"Hey…not that I'm not happy for inviting me to hang out today, but aren't you and Steven always stuck at the hip? I'm surprised he isn't here."

"He's busy." He simply answered. "Your turn."

"But—

"Leave it alone, George and take the damn turn!"

A few of hours later, his mother left with his younger sister for yoga classes half an hour out of town. He didn't mind at all. Ever since they began taking them a couple of months ago, they've been better to handle. His mother isn't as uptight in knowing every move he makes and his fourteen year old sister isn't as annoying trying to make a fool out of him in front of his friends. As the day went on, he worried less and less about Steven. He fucked up his poker face and Steven knew what his good mood had been about. He was practically having a heart attack in class just thinking about Steven pulling him out of campus to go bury him alive out deep in the woods.

Too bad he wasn't off the hook.

After homework, George insisted on playing Halo on his Xbox 360. A while into playing, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." He muffled out through his bite of cold pizza. He took a long swallow of his Pepsi before he jumped over the couch, smirking as George called him out as a show off. With all the whoop ass and high scores, he didn't think about who could be behind the door until he stood right in front of it. His eyes widened when one particular person came to mind.

"Daniel." Steven said calmly. _Buried alive. Buried Alive. _

He didn't move, not knowing what to do. Klaus had told him something about Steven not able to step inside his house anymore. What that meant he didn't know. He couldn't figure out how that was possible anyway.

"I…can't." said lamely.

There was no reply on the other side.

"Hey Steven!" George called from the living room. The air in the house suddenly felt cold, despite the soft hum of the heater coming from the vents. He waited and listened to see what happened next. For a moment he considered yelling at George to run. The sound of the backdoor opening then echoed in the house.

"We're playing the newest Halo game. Honestly, I don't think it's better than the first one but it does have a lot more cool guns and—what's wrong?"

This caused him to bolt to the kitchen and grab a hold of the first knife in the counter slot set. From here, he clearly saw Steven standing at the backdoor entrance, looking angry but at the same time confused as the vampire looked around the frame as if something was—_holding him back…_

"What the fuck did you do?" Steven demanded, turning his glaring eyes onto him.

"What is going on?" George said, confused.

Steven ignored the younger jock, the murderous eyes never leaving his. "You better fix this now or else!"

"I don't know what you're talking about! Just leave!" he ordered.

Steven sincerely looked surprised at this for a split second. It must have been the longest moment of his life as Steven leaned in slightly forward as if trying one more time to come in. When he failed, the vampire briefly glanced at George, before turning his gaze back on him.

Steven nodded. "I can wait."

Then he left. He stood there, waiting to see if this was just some sort of trick but seconds passed and nothing happened.

"What just happened?" George called.

"No idea." He half lied. "I need to make a phone call. I'll be right back."

Klaus picked up three rings later.

"I suppose a certain someone came to pay you a visit tonight?"

His eyes widened. "You knew he would?"

"I imagined. Smart for him not to come complain to me a second time about my personal agenda."

"But I-I don't understand. Steven literally couldn't step inside the house."

"He's not allowed to for the time being."

"What did you do?"

Pause. "It's nothing that should concern you. I can only promise you you'll be safe."

"I won't be if I step out of the house."

"I've arranged that too. Trust me."

"What about my friend?"

"I don't care. Worry about yourself."

That night, he managed to convince George to stay over. Part of him feared that the guy would end up missing the next day. The other just didn't feel like sleeping alone.

"Man, Dorlan is a freak sometimes! Don't tell him I told you that!" George said from the inflated mattress on the floor.

"Nothing comes out of this room." He promised. "And yeah I don't know what's up with him lately."

"You two got in a fight recently?"

"No."

"Oh."

He turned off the lights and pulled off the sheets from the side of his bed to climb in when he stopped. He leaned down toward his window to get a better look.

Someone was out there, staring up at the room. His heart beat sped up again. _Steven? _Something told him it wasn' someone was watching him from other side of the fence in the backyard. A male. But before he could be sure, the figure was gone.

* * *

><p>Tyler was in his car, parked—hopefully—inconspicuously in front of Jeremy's house where he listened to the soft fall of water coming from the boy's bedroom. Unfortunately for him, he still had his noticeable bulge hugging tightly against the front of his jeans. He licked his lips as he carefully looked around and listened for anybody nearby. When the coast was clear, he proceeded to unfasten his belt and jeans, pulling out his semi-hard cock from his boxers. He lay back more comfortably against his seat and began to slowly stroke himself, wanting to savor the moment. Damn it would have been good to at least dry hump Jeremy. Had no one been there, Tyler probably would have done it in the living room, a favorite fantasy of his. He wondered how it would feel to finally sink in between those two globes. It wasn't too long until he came thickly into his hand.<p>

Arriving home, he spent almost an hour trying to convince his mom not to keep him grounded when he got home when his old man arrived and asked him about his tutoring with Matt. He almost winced aloud when he realized he had forgotten all about it.

"We started today. That's why I came home late."

His mom nodded thoughtfully. "I'm glad to know you're thinking about your grades. I'm surprised to see such a low grade this year."

"Football gets a little out of me sometimes."

"Speaking of that, what extracurricular activities are you planning to sign up for when the season ends?"

"Richard, let him have a break!" his mother protested.

"Caroline, we can't let our son fool around! He needs more than just the normal school hours if he plans to attend more of those useless parties!"

"This is his last year." She said firmly, not wanting to raise her voice like his father did always in these situations.

The old man stared back and forth in disapproval between his mother and him.

"I suppose so." He finally said and pointed at him in warning. "You better keep those grades up! I will not let the future mayor of this town be known as incompetent imbecil!"

The old man then left, mumbling angrily to himself. His mother shook her head and kissed his forehead.

"Are you going to eat something before you go upstairs?"

"No, I'm not hungry. Thank you, mom."

She smiled. He leaned in and kissed her cheek before heading for the stairs.

"By the way, I went to go talk to your uncle today after work."

He turned and looked at her in surprise. "What did he say?"

"That thanks to you, he might be very interested in staying in town for a while. Plus he told me he's enjoying his job. He was never really interested in politics."

Suddenly his father's booming voice rang through the house from his office. He glanced over in the man's direction before he returned back to his mother as she walked over to him.

"You don't have to tell me now but I wanted to bring something up."

He nodded.

She clasped her hands together in front of her. "Do you really want to go into politics?"

He sighed, looking away.

"Because if you don't, we need to talk about it before you head to college."

He nodded. "We'll see. Goodnight, mom."

He knew she wanted to say more but gratefully kept it to herself. The last thing he wanted to think about was college. Maybe by the end of January, destiny will make him end up leaving town for one reason or another.

* * *

><p>Jeremy was feasting upon Tyler's neck as he slid up and down the older werewolf, painfully slow to tease him. He felt nails dig into his hips, breath coming out deep beside his ear.<p>

"Jere…" was the only thing boy—man- could growl out. This made him chuckle. He then pulled back to smirk down at him. They were out in the open, the full moon glowing largely above them, reflecting soft light on Tyler's stunning features.

"Tell me."

Tyler looked hesitant. Of course he would. In the end he was still a Lockwood and Lockwoods do not beg to anyone for anything. He was determined to break that.

He stopped moving, making Tyler whine in protest.

"What do you want me to do? I won't know unless you tell me, dirty boy."

"I…can't." his mate gritted out. He huffed, smiling and gave a fast roll of his hips making the werewolf throw his head back and moan. "Fuck!"

"Is that what you want?" he asked, reaching down and grabbing onto his leaking dick, carefully running his thumb over the sensitive slit seeing how Tyler's eyes followed the movement.

"Shit—Jeremy!" Tyler gasped, his hands reaching out gripping onto his hips desperately.

"Tell me, Tyler! Tell me you want to fill my ass with your come! Now!" He yelled, slapping the now growling male's face firmly.

"Fuck me! Fuck me hard!"

"Who do you belong to?" slap.

"You!"

He smirked and began to roll his hips again Tyler, watching the emotions play out on the older boy's face as he jerked himself off.

"So tight." Tyler breathed out, his eyes closing as Jeremy's muscles clamped down on his organ, supporting himself on his free hand on the side of Tyler's body.

"Kiss me," he heard Tyler command. He did without missing a beat. He pulled back as his orgasm built in his belly.

"Who do you belong to?" Tyler panted against his lips.

"You...always you. Forever. Fuck…!"

He moaned as he spilled his seed onto his mate, loving the sound of Tyler's own cries as he came seconds later. Tyler slapped his ass, encouraging him to keep coming.

When the world came to focus again, he slid off of Tyler, his upper body resting against the other boy's. Tyler suddenly flipped them over until he was staring up at him with wide eyes. His head bounding once into the ground from the impact.

"Who said we were done?" Tyler asked seriously.

He frowned at the weird change in mood. He was about to ask what was wrong when Tyler flipped him until he now lay on his stomach on the cold dirt.

He closed his eyes at the feeling of Tyler's warm lips on his back, trailing up towards his neck.

"You smell so good." The werewolf purred.

He blew out a soft breath as his tongue swiped at the skin of his neck.

"You taste good."

Without warning, Tyler entered him roughly. Jeremy winced loudly, fingers digging into the dirt at the pain.

"Tyler, that fucking hurt!" he protested, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Don't be a pussy." Tyler said, sounding slightly annoyed as he leaned back.

"I know but…next time give me a heads up."

The older boy snorted. "I just did."

He groaned, fingers digging further into the soft dirt under him, as Tyler began to move.

He breathed in and out deeply, feeling a drop of sweat running down the side of his face.

Tyler began to growl deeply. His eyes snapped open at the sound. Tyler grabbed his hips upwards towards him until he had to forcefully lift and support himself on all fours. Then Tyler began to pound into him. He jumped when the werewolf suddenly swooped down and latched his teeth onto the skin of his shoulder. The teeth felt a little too sharp but it didn't seem to stop him from stroking himself as they came together.

The only thing that held him up now was Tyler's arm as it forcefully wrapped around his middle. His eyes closed, thinking they were done and call it a night, his energy spent. But Tyler had other plans.

He realized Tyler's teeth were still latched onto his shoulder, a stinging sensation now evident. Pain coursed through his shoulders as the teeth broke the skin, followed by a hot sensation and the feeling of being sucked, causing him only more pain.

He yelled, trying to get Tyler to let go, but his teeth and hands had an iron grip.

Tyler sounded like he almost snarled when let go, turning is head to the side to nuzzle the wound thereby actually opening it. Jeremy allowed himself to let out a sigh, thinking it to be over.

Then Tyler began to thrust again. Jeremy gasped as he focused again, the lingering fuzz of afterglow completely gone. It no longer felt good, it just hurt, and it burned a terrible pain. Before he could protest, Tyler suddenly pushed his hips up again, nails growing to sharp points as it scraped the skin of his belly.

"Tyler! Stop!" he begged as he felt something warm ooze down his stomach. Tyler growled again. The sound no longer human.

"Shut. Up."

A scream tore from his throat as nails literally sunk into his flesh, a feeling like being stabbed. Then for a moment he heard nothing. But Tyler finally stopped thrusting only to feel pressure on his back and rivulets of what he could only guess was blood, slid down the sides of his body. He felt his mouth open but had no idea if he actually said anything as he went utterly limp on the floor.

* * *

><p>Jeremy's terrified scream cut through the air like a thousand knives. It took her a few seconds to move, almost tripping over her sheets as her eyes focused to the darkness. In seconds she was out the door where Jenna was coming out to see what was going on too.<p>

"STOP IT! STOP IT!" Jeremy continued to scream.

The words made her freeze before she could reach her cousin's door. Jenna tried to open it but found it locked so she began to pound. "Jeremy!"

Her first thought was Tyler stayed over and, for some reason lost control, only to end up hurting him. That's when she felt the supernatural disturbance in the air. But it wasn't coming from inside Jeremy's room.

"Katherine, help me!" Jenna yelled at her desperately.

That's when the screams stopped. For a long moment, it was deadly silent, a breeze outside banging against the walls of the house.

She went over to the door, Jenna moving out of the way.

"Jeremy, it's us open the door please." she said softly. It had been a dream. It had to be.

There was no movement or sound from inside, making her heart beat quicker, the earlier thoughts coming back to mind. _No, no. Lockwood is not in there. I can't feel him inside the house. _But the essence was there, which only meant one thing.

Her thoughts broke when she heard quick footsteps coming towards the door. There stood a wide-eyed Jeremy.

She just stood there, not knowing what to say. Jeremy let out a breath and clutched at his head, leaning out towards her. She quickly grabbed him and held him close, her fingers in his sweat damp hair.

Jenna side stepped past them and into the room, looking around with alertness for any intruders. No Tyler. No anybody. But _it_—he or she—was still there.

"Take him." She told Jenna.

"What?"

"I said take him!" she said. Jenna did and that's when she took off running down the stairs, not giving a shit if she was bare foot and in pajamas.

"Katherine!" Jenna called.

The cold air stung her face when she opened the door. She ran like she never had in her life, her lungs taking in gulps of chilly air as she tried to keep her blowing hair from her face.

By the time she made it to the other side of the house, there was no one in sight and the energy she felt was gone.

"Shit." She swore.

* * *

><p>Earlier that day, Katherine had gone out to buy some flowers for Jenna. She wanted to apologize for her behavior at dinner and what better way than to also brighten up the house too with some fresh roses? The second she stepped into the store, the aroma of the flowers made her feel…good. Like having a caffeine boost. Her head was clear and alert for anything. When she bought the flowers, the feeling diminished somewhat but not entirely. She knew right then she would have to spend most of her time outdoors if she was going to try to get rid of the vampires in town. Yay her.<p>

In the end, she ended up buying a bouquet for herself too. Back at home Jenna had accepted them with surprise and warmth. She placed her own roses in a clear, on her desk. Later she told her aunt she'd be going outside to read which surprised her even more. Didn't blame her, she didn't really look the kind who would even know the definition of education.

Seeing Tyler Lockwood looking up towards Jeremy window was creepy as it was romantic. She felt bad for him sometimes, being the mayor's son and probably having the parents expect so much of him and act a certain way. She couldn't even begin to imagine how he'd feel the day he would have to come out to his parents. But sometimes life made things happen, whether people wanted them or not.

She must have spent at least four hours out in the woods. She's gotten up to twenty five pages, being careful and alert to every bit of information it provided despite the weather. Though she couldn't find anything she could use for tracking vampires down yet, for the first time she felt true connection to her inner warlock.

That's when Stefan called.

She was very hesitant and looked around as if expecting him to be nearby. She answered on the last ring.

"Yeah."

"How are you?"

This surprised her. Stefan sincerely sounded concern but then she had come to learn the night before that her boyfriend would do or say anything he needed to get what he needed.

"Been better."

There was a pause. "I have some… information that might be of good use to you."

"Like what?"

"I don't know his name but I can give you a pretty good description."

Then she frowned, suspicious. "I thought you weren't allowed to reveal any 'information'."

"He let me go."

She didn't know whether to believe that or not. Her gut told her not to trust him. At least until Klaus and his group were gone, one way or another.

"Tell me." She finally said.

According to Stefan, the man who seemed to be in charge of everything—"the leader" in her mind—was blonde with green eyes who spoke in an English accent. In the three times he's seen him in person, the man wore modern but simple colored t-shirts with dark jeans. On the outside, the man looked around his early to mid-thirties.

"I'm sorry." He added. "For last night. I wasn't myself."

"I know but I think it would be good not to see each other that way right now."

"We're breaking up?" Stefan asked wearily.

Her heart clenched. "No. I just don't trust you enough right now. I need Klaus and his group dead first."

"You trust me with my description."

There was a beep on the line, indicating something was trying to contact her.

"Hold on a sec." she mumbled and pressed a button. "Hello?"

"Where are you? It's almost nine!" Jenna protested.

"Sorry, I'll be there in a couple." Switch "I have to go. Will you be at school tomorrow?"

"Maybe." He replied curtly.

"You hate me."

Long pause. "No. I can understand why you didn't tell me. But I will need time."

She snorted softly. "Yeah, it's hard to take that in. I'll see you later."

"Yeah."

* * *

><p>Katherine returned back inside the house. She went upstairs and heard Jenna call out to her.<p>

"I'll be right there."

"Where did you go?"

"It's nothing. Give me a moment."

She went into her room to her bathroom and wiped off some wet pieces of grass on the bottom of her feet with toilet paper and took a moment to gather herself.

When she returned to Jeremy's room, she saw Jeremy glance up at her from the bed, Jenna's arm around him.

"Bad dream?"

His gaze lowered again and nodded.

"He doesn't want to tell me. But I'm guessing Tyler Lockwood was in it, being Jeremy mentioned him." Jenna commented to her, her eyes narrowing angrily.

"I'm sure it's nothing we should be worry about it real life. I sometimes have dreams where Stefan is strangling me because I told him he stunk after a game." She lied.

For a split second she swore she saw Jeremy smirk in amusment.

"Well Stefan is a different kind of guy and…"

"Aunt Jenna." Jeremy protested weakly.

"Sorry, sorry. Not the time for arguing. I'm sorry."

After a moment, she glanced over at the alarm clock and saw it was almost four in the morning. Ugh.

"We should go back to bed." She proposed.

Jenna nodded and leaned over to place a big kiss on the top of Jeremy's head. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah."

It didn't sound convincing but Jenna nodded. "We'll be close by if you need us."

Jeremy nodded as Jenna stood up and walked past her, giving her a look that told her to be more supportive.

Not that it would help. Whatever it was Jeremy dreamt was because of a vampire. Plus, something told her Tyler came by and told her cousin something that stuck with him for the rest of the night. _Stupid werewolf. _Which meant the vampires knew Jeremy and Tyler were mates.

When she heard Jenna go back to her room, she went over to down by Jeremy. She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it lightly. "On a scale of one of ten?"

"Ten." He mumbled.

She wished she could tell him about the vampires. About how the dream was only a type of ability they could use against him to bring a tensely problems into his relationship. _Maybe if I told Tyler…_

She didn't know what to do.

"You know Tyler wouldn't hurt you."

Jeremy sighed and stood up to close the door.

"Tyler came earlier and we talked." He started, running a hand down his face. "And he told me about how he would need to let go of his human self and turn rough when we mate for the first time."

She pressed her lips into a thin line. She knew it.

"At first—I mean I did feel scared. But before the dream I thought about it for a long time before I fell asleep… I felt something inside of me that tell me I could trust him."

"Your dream was probably only acting out even your slightest doubts. You said you were a little afraid of the news."

"But in the dream, everything started out fine then…he killed me." he whispered the last part out.

"I'm sorry you had to experience that but, if it helps, think about it this way. He wants you to see that you could trust him. He came to you with what he knew even with the risk that you could tell to go to hell. He cares."

* * *

><p>Jeremy stared at Katherine. She was right. But it didn't help much to relieve the frightening images from his dream. It had felt so real, it had taken him a good moment to remember where he even was.<p>

Tired and confused, he simply shrugged. "I just wanna go back to bed."

"I probably shouldn't tell you this but…I texted Tyler at school and told him I'd help him win Jenna's affections so I'd be easier for the guy to take you out of town for Christmas."

His eyes widened. "What did he say?"

"He appreciated my help. He's really going to try hard to make it happen. Especially the _lie_ he has to tell his _parents_. He wouldn't be doing this if he knows you're in danger."

"It's…so weird to know you're helping him. I thought you hated him."

Katherine huffed. "I don't like him that much but if he's literally your life line well…he's like chocolate."

"Huh?"

"Chocolate. One loves it even though you know it could make you fat."

"I want to smile but I don't have the energy right now."

"At least you thought about." Katherine then stood up and walked out. "Goodnight. I'll be next door as usual."

"Goodnight."

He left the door unlocked this time just in case. He eyed the bed nervously, hoping he wouldn't have another gruesome dream. And to think it started out so well.

* * *

><p>Elijah heard his brother come in through the door of the house. Footsteps came down the hall and were about to pass his room when they paused.<p>

"Don't feel bad for the boy, brother. At least his blood will not end up on my hands."

Moments later, Klaus disappeared into his room, a soft click echoing in his ears. He felt sympathy for Jeremy. He reminded him of himself when he was once human. Ignorant and in love. Then fate came and took practically everything away. Something told him his brother was just going to end up learning the hard way.

* * *

><p>Note: Ta da! Review? Yes? Please? :D *hands you a double chocolate chip cookie*<p>

And yes, more Jyler drama. Sorry but no true happiness just yet. Blame Klaus hehe...


	45. Something Deeper

First Time for Everything

Chapter 45

Note: Dear readers, bad news. This will be the last chapter for a while because I will be leaving on vacation next Thursday and I don't want to rush the next chapter. I don't know how much time I will have to even work on the story but I won't be back until mid-August because college starts again for me on the 22nd :( For future reference (though I will be giving out reminders a few days before), I will be taking vacations like these probably every year. During the summer and again during my winter break in December. The summer one being the longest. I'm very sorry. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and have a super awesome Jyler summer! :D

* * *

><p>Jenna was startled awake by the sound of the house phone ringing on her nightstand. She inhaled sharply, her mind still foggy with sleep and the darkness not helping. She blindly reached over and grabbed the phone, pressing the button and placing it to her ear.<p>

"Hello."

"Jenna, did I wake you? I'm sorry." Jeremy's mother said apologetically.

"It's fine, sis. What's going on?"

"I wanted to ask you how Jeremy was doing."

Her eyes snapped open at this, remembering the night's events. Being a protective guardian, her instinct was to tell her sister , about everything going on with Jeremy. But then her nephew would come to probably hate her for the lack of confidentiality.

Then she looked at the clock on her nightstand. 7:35. The kids were late for school.

"Damn." She groaned.

"What?" Sara asked, concerned.

"It's nothing to worry about. I'll call you back later, okay?"

"…Sure. Alright."

Two minutes later. "KATHERINE GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF BED!"

She walked over to Jeremy's room and pressed her ear to the door. There was shuffling coming from inside.

"Jere?" she called.

"Yeah, I'm up too. Give me a second to change."

"You don't have to go today, hun."

"I would if I wouldn't get doubled with homework on Monday. But thanks."

"Alright, call me if you feel sick or anything."

"Got it."

She then knocked on Katherine door.

"I'm up! I'm changing! God!" Katherine said, annoyed. _Ah, the morning grumps. Good old times._

When the kids left an hour later, she called her sister.

"Sorry about that, Sara. We all overslept." She explained.

"That's alright. It happens. Did you guys have a long night?"

"The kids were up doing homework late and I stayed up in case they needed my help."

"I'm glad Jeremy is still paying attention to his studies." Her sister said, sounding satisfied. "I'm always telling him that education is very important, no matter how hard it may be sometimes. It's worth it in the end."

"He should be my example, right?"

"But you applied for a job. You're just waiting and I have a good feeling you'll get it."

"Hope so. It's not that I can't handle, but it's getting pretty tight."

Sara said nothing.

"You still there?" she asked.

"Yeah I'm here. Look, Jen, I'm not… having any luck over here. In all honesty, the unemployment is only enough to cover rent and electricity. Thankfully, I still have food stamps and mom and dad agreed that I go live with them until things get better. Then I would at least have some money to send you every two weeks."

She leaned against the counter top, closing her eyes and sighed heavily.

"Don't feel bad for me, Jen. Other people have it worse. We just have to work with what we have."

"I promise…" she swallowed, feeling tears prick her eyes. "That I'll send you something back when I get the job."

"No, don't do that."

"I want to. Don't argue with me."

Sara said nothing. In the back of her mind, she knew her sister was holding back tears too.

"So how's Jeremy doing?" Sara asked.

"Great. He's a great kid and he's doing great in school. He has a few good friends and becoming close with Katherine."

"So no fights?"

"Not at school. With me, here and there but nothing serious. You know how teenagers are."

"Good, good."

"Were you expecting him to get into fights?"

"No. I just thought he'd have a hard time fitting in or something. I'm glad everything is going smoothly for him."

"Yup." _Absolutely._

* * *

><p>Matt was surprised to see Vicky making breakfast.<p>

"Good morning, Mattie!" Vicky said smiling, going over to quickly give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Ok." He drawled out, confused about her mood. "Good morning. What's the occasion?"

"What? I've cooked before!"

He eyed the table. "I meant what are you happy about?"

"Sit down and I'll tell you!"

He obeyed and took a long swallow of his milk. Moments later, they were both eating as he eyed his sister, waiting for the story.

Vicky swallowed a mouthful of French toast and said, "Katherine is taking me out of town with her family to go shopping!"

He stared at her and then glanced at the new, unopened bill envelopes on the side of the table. She must have followed his gaze and understood.

"She's buying but before you start freaking out she told me she wasn't going to argue about it cause she's making this my early Christmas present. Well presents."

He said nothing.

"I know how we feel about people buying us stuff but…this is for Christmas. And honestly, I feel happy about this trip. We can't feel below everyone else, Matt."

His expression softened after a moment at her sad expression. "Alright, alright. You can go."

Vicky squealed and stood up to give him a hug. He snorted, patting her back.

"Aright, sit back down and eat. We don't want to be late."

On the way to school, Vicky turned to him with a disapproving frown.

"Hey, is it true you're quitting the football team?"

He rolled his eyes. "I can put the extra time from practice to good use on something else. Like work."

She threw her hands up. "Well thank you for telling me and you work enough!"

He didn't have the heart to tell Vicky he hadn't made enough to pay medical insurance for both of them. So without hesitation, he paid for her.

Neither of them said anything after that until he parked the car.

"Fine, if it makes you feel better. I'll use to the time to rest and catch up on homework." He offered, climbing out.

Vicky paused to think. "Fine. But next time tell me first before you decide to pull a stunt like that." She huffed and climbed out of the car with him. "Bet you didn't think twice in telling Mason."

"Now that you mention it, he doesn't know."

Vicky gasped with exaggeration, causing a few passer byers to glance at her. "No way!"

He pressed a finger to his lips in warning, shooting her a look. He locked the car and adjusted his backpack. As they walked towards the building, he spotted Daniel heading their way, his back hunched forward slightly as he trying to hide, the boy's eyes alert and wide with what looked an awfully lot like fear.

"Donovan." Daniel called at him. Vicky wrinkled her nose at the guy. Daniel just ignored her.

"What's up?" He greeted cautiously.

"Have you seen Steven?"

"No. I just got here."

"Oh. Thanks."

He watched Daniel walking away quickly.

"And people think I'm the freak? I can't believe your enemy's best friend just said thank you. To you!"

"Yeah. Defiantly weird." He mumbled then shrugged. "Must have gotten into a fight with Steven and ended up getting threatened to get his butt kicked."

"I'd pay to see that."

He smirked. "Me too."

* * *

><p>Caroline spotted her target coming out of his classroom. She blew out a slow breath and opened her notebook, lowering her face as if pretending to be reading. And she began to walk.<p>

"Whoa!" the junior cried out when she bumped into him. The sounds of books slamming onto the hallway then echoed in the air. Immediately she felt several eyes on them.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, covering her mouth.

"No, it's fine. I got it."

She knelt down with him and gathered up some of her stuff. She glanced up at Jeremy and paused. For the first time she realized, Jeremy Gilbert was quite the cutie. _What a shame he's got his preferences. _Jeremy offered a hand and she took it with a quick shy smile. He gave her the remains and sighed.

"You okay?" he asked.

She was taken back. "Yeah…fine. Thanks."

He nodded and broke out into a chuckle, rubbing his upper arm. "Well at least that woke me up."

"Sorry, I was reading some stuff for my exam next class."

"It's fine. I'm Jeremy by the way." The young brunette said, holding out his hand.

"Caroline. Nice to meet you. You're the new kid from Florida. What a change."

"Same here. And not so much; Spring Hills is pretty small too."

"Having a hard time fitting in?"

He looked surprised. Then embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I was just wondering since I haven't seen you talk to anyone at school except Matt."

Jeremy shrugged. "It takes time, I guess."

The sound of a phone then paused their conversation. Jeremy reached into his pocket and checked something on his screen. The boy gave her an apologetic smile.

"I have to meet someone but it was nice meeting you."

"Sure. Talk to you Monday?"

"Unless you wanna come sit with us?"

She pointed down the hall. "Thank you but I have somewhere else to be too. See ya."

* * *

><p>Jeremy sat with Anna during lunch. He was extremely lucky he wasn't spotted by Tyler yet. That's why he told Anna to meet with him outside behind the gym bleachers.<p>

The girl laughed, rolling her eyes. "What an idiot. She did that on purpose. Which is weird because she must know you like boys. Everyone does!"

"Thanks for reminding me."

"Caroline Forbes may live up to the blonde reputation, but she is not clumsy like that. Plus, I've seen her do it a few times to other guys. One of course being Tyler Lockwood. The lucky bitch."

A flash of anger swept over him like breeze. "She had sex with Tyler?"

"She's had sex with every male in this school except for the ones of anime and chess club…but then who knows maybe she did do them too!" Anna mused. "Oh, but not Matt Donovan! He is just an old fashion gentleman!"

_Except around Mason. _"Oh."

"Relieved?"

His cheeks heated. "Matt and I are just friends now. Honestly."

"Why do I have a feeling you're hiding from someone?" Anna asked, smirking.

"I'm not."

Anna's expression turned serious. "You can trust me, Jeremy. I promise what is said between us, stays between us."

He closed his eye, breathing deeply through his nose. "If I told you, do you swear on your life and everything that is good in this world that you won't tell a soul? Not even your mom?"

"Whoa, is this that bad?"

"Very serious. _Lives _are on this."

"Okay, now that's a little scary. But I promise on my life and everything that is good in this world I'll keep my mouth shut. Even to my mom. I'll die with my secret. Now tell me!"

He blew out a long blew. "I'm… seeing Tyler Lockwood."

Anna giggled. "Nice one. My turn: I have the voice of Sarah Brightman."

"I'm not joking."

Anna rolled her eyes at his serious tone. "Tyler Lockwood? Sex-addicted womanizer who is practically voted most likely to die of an STD before the age of thirty?"

He had so to smirk at that. "Yes, ma'am."

She took a large bite out of her sloppy joe, while she squinted at him as if waiting for the laughter. He munched on his sandwich too, staring his friend straight in the eye.

Anna slammed her sandwich down, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief. "Tyler Lockwood?"

He nodded.

"How? Why? When? Where?"

He shrugged.

"Answer some questions for me!"

"I'll try."

"Does Matt know?"

"Yes."

"Were you with Tyler while you were with Matt?"

"No."

"Have you and Tyler done the deed?"

"Anna!"

"Yes or no?"

"Not all the way."

She slowly diminished his personal space, her face getting closer to his, "And since when is he gay?"

"I don't know."

She sat back down with a look of disbelief. "You must have done something! This is the second football jock you've managed to turn gay! Are you using some kind of dark witch voodoo?"

He'd have to tell Katherine that one.

"I didn't do anything. It just happened."

"'It just happened' my butt!" she huffed, pushing away her leftover burger and crossing her arms over her chest. "But then you are extremely cute, no doubt."

He looked down at his lunch, embarrassed. "Thanks, I guess."

"Don't be shy about it, Jeremy! Use it! Tyler maybe an asshole but he's still gorgeously hot!"

Another wave of jealousy at that. He didn't like how Anna was talking about him. Tyler was his. Even if Tyler was indeed gorgeous hot.

He rolled his eyes at himself mentally.

"How long has it been going on?" Anna continued finishing off her lunch and staring at him like if he was a rockstar.

"A while."

"Awhile as in a few days?"

"As in a few months."

"My god! Oh and let me guess, you're angry at him because he's being a prick about it now."

"No…he's actually fine. He was kind of the one to convince me into doing this. I'm the one having doubts about some things."

Anna blew out a breath, "This is getting better and better-Oh my god, Jere." She suddenly whispered and grabbed his hand and stared at him right in the eye. "Are you two in love?"

_Was he? Were they?_ Tyler hasn't mentioned he had strange thoughts. About protecting Tyler from anybody and that Tyler was his and only his despite it should be more the other way around. He got even angry for Anna thinking "his" Tyler was "gorgeously hot" and the thought of Caroline Forbes in his man's pants. Yet, he was afraid of Tyler's wolf side. Of all the what ifs. Of their future first time. But he didn't want to suddenly cancel dinner. He still confirmed to Aunt Jenna it was still on.

Anna didn't let go and was pretty much in his personal space, waiting for his answer.

"I don't know." He answered lamely.

She sighed, sitting back again. Though she didn't let go of his hand. _Awkward. _"Well if Tyler hasn't given you a one night stand, then it has to mean something. He's risking not only his own reputation, but his family's—his father's more specifically. Richard Lockwood is like the devil on earth for Tyler. Tyler isn't going to risk getting disowned for—and I mean this is the nicest way possible—a guy unless something deeper is going on. Maybe you know what I'm talking about and you don't want to tell me. I'm not offended; it's understandable since we barely know each other. But I'd think twice about breaking this thing up."

He was left in awe. Anna's speech was deep, something he hasn't heard in a while. But it also provoked for him to think about the words. Anna was right about the reputation risk. But then she didn't know about Tyler's curse. About the no- other- option side effect that doesn't give Tyler the voluntary capacity of choosing his mate. If it wasn't for that or the fate that got him into town in the first place, maybe Tyler would still be that sex addicted womanizer that is practically voted to die of an STD before the age of thirty.

"You don't have to say anything now. I'll let you think about it."

He smiled gratefully. "Thanks. So how much of a hoe is Caroline again?"

"Oh don't get me started!"

* * *

><p>Katherine stared at Jenna whose smile looked slightly forced.<p>

"Jenna." She said firmly.

"Yes?"

"Jeremy is happy with this guy. Remember that."

Jenna lost her smile "Jeremy's mom called me this morning. She's not doing any better so…she's going to live with her parents for a while. She wants to continue sending but I told her not to."

She reached over and squeezed her hand. "You know I'll be here to help. So now you see that Jeremy needs all the happiness he could get too. You'll see Tyler has changed."

"Something I have to see."

* * *

><p>Jeremy looked at the small scars on his back. They turned a color slightly paler than his own skin color but no longer painful whatsoever. He blew out a breath and placed his shirt on. He admitted that his fear wasn't as concentrated as it was last night. The second time he hadn't managed to dream a sequel. Something told him he was being stupid but he couldn't ignore the doubts that swirled in his mind when he remembered Christmas. He wasn't entirely enthusiastic about Tyler having to lose control. Even the older boy had admitted that he could even be bitten. Who knows how far that would go?<p>

"Hey." Katherine called from the open door.

He stepped into the room and nodded at her in question.

"You ready?"

"I suppose."

She smiled and stepped into the room. "I was thinking… and I got an idea."

"Should I be scared?" he joked.

He watched curiously as Katherine then walked over to his desk. "You still have the ring?"

"It's in the drawer you're standing at."

She slid open the drawer and pulled it out, studying it closely.

"Come."

He raised an eyebrow but obeyed as he followed his Katherine back her room where he watched her pull out a black string.

"Seriously?" he asked, knowing where this was going.

"I'll do whatever it takes to help you understand that there is nothing to worry about."

"How do you know there's nothing to worry about?"

"I can't but if it helps, you can talk to Matt. He's had sex with Mason probably like six hundred times by now."

"I can't talk to Matt about his sex life!" he protested quietly.

"Sure you can. You're both boys. You can bring it up by pretending that you need some pointers or something."

"And I'm talking to you about this?"

She simply smirked and walked over with the necklace.

"Let me put it on?" She said, sounding more like a command. He nodded, tilting his head forward as she walked behind him.

Then the doorbell rang.

"Shit!"

"Don't be obvious something is bothering you. Remember, Tyler cares and gave you all those gifts when you came to town."

He was surprised she remembered.

"There." She said stepping away and turning him around. "You look awesome. Let's go."

"Easy for you to say."

* * *

><p>Tyler stared at Jenna as he slowly chewed on his grilled salmon and white rice. Jenna was smiling but her eyes told him she wished he could evaporate into thin air. Katherine was smiling like everything was perfect and Jeremy wouldn't meet his eyes for longer than two seconds. Oh yeah, everything was fucking perfect. Though it made it easier, when he found Jeremy was wearing his ring around his neck for all to see.<p>

"Thank you for inviting over for dinner, Ms. Sommers. Dinner is great." He commented.

Her eyes brightened slightly. "Thank you, Tyler. Call me Jenna. It's nice to know Jeremy has friends in town."

Katherine shot her aunt a look but Jenna chose to ignore it. Jeremy looked sympathetic.

"No, thank _you_, Tyler for giving up your more than two hour football practice to come join us for dinner." Katherine added. "And for bringing that amazing looking cake. It's buttercream with coconut and vanilla filling, right? I remember seeing something similar in a bakery shop outside of town. You shouldn't have."

He smirked at Jeremy's attempt to hold back a laugh. "Yeah. It's one of my mom's favorite bakery stores. She usually brings in one a week."

"Interesting." Jenna simply said as she continued to eat. During a short moment of silence, he gently bumped his knee with Jeremy's, earning a soft jump from the boy. Jeremy sent him a soft smile and bumped his knee back.

"And what are your plans for college?" Jenna asked.

He returned his focus back on the older woman. "Kaplan. Then UCLA."

Jenna wrinkled her nose. "Not for football, right?"

"Jenna!" Katherine protested.

"Politics." Jeremy replied to his aunt.

"Do you want to go into politics?" Jenna pressed.

"No." he blurted out. It felt good saying it. He actually had no interest in politics whatsoever. He would rather play football for the rest of his career.

Everyone was utterly shocked at this. Then Katherine clapped, smiling like she won the lottery, giving Jenna a glance. "There you go. A guy who is honest and had his own mind. What are you going for then, Tyler?"

He looked at Jeremy for this. Jeremy was the only one who knew about his secret art hobby beside his father. The boy stared at him now, almost seeming to read his mind. He gave him an encouraging smile. One that told him it was alright to speak his mind.

"If there was work for it, art. But I'm not sure yet. Though I've been thinking about engineer."

Katherine _oohed _quietly. Jenna's expression had softened somewhat now but he could tell she still wasn't convinced about his relationship with her nephew. His intentions, anyway. He was Tyler Lockwood.

"I didn't know you were an artist." Jenna said.

"My father doesn't approve."

"And your mom?"

"She doesn't know.

Jenna didn't speak after that until after that. Katherine took over, asking questions that would side in his favor. Jeremy said nothing but listened carefully to his every word.

After they finished, Katherine asked him to stay and hang out with Jeremy. Jenna immediately looked like she wanted to slap her.

"We'll behave." Jeremy reassured quietly. Jenna's expression softened entirely for the young boy. Something swirled in her eyes he couldn't understand but she looked concerned. _Did I miss something? _

"No funny business." Jenna finally said and nodded for them to be excused. He left quietly behind Jeremy who then called out they'd be outside. He clearly heard Jenna make a frustrated noise in her throat but decided not to object.

"Let me get my jacket first." Jeremy told him.

* * *

><p>Daniel didn't know what to make of Steven's absence that day. The vampire was probably planning his murder. Just thinking about it made him nauseous. He didn't know if he should trust Klaus. The blonde sounded serious when he said he would be protected. But what made him think Klaus cared enough for him to keep him alive? Besides the fact of avoiding police investigation.<p>

When the last class of the day came to an end, he relaxed slightly when George waited on him to go to football practice. Thankfully it was a shuttle run day but still no sign of Steven. Back in the locker rooms, he asked a couple of the guys if they wanted to hang out at his house that evening. Some couldn't make it but he was able to get three guys to pull through.

* * *

><p>Steven's eye muscle had been twitching continuously since that morning. Klaus warned him that Daniels was off limits to him and the boy had three of his fucking minions on the lookout with the order to inflict harm. If he had been human, he probably would have busted an artery. He was pissed and that meant he couldn't be around people. He didn't want to end up killing someone for looking at him the wrong way. Especially during practice. Not that he wouldn't mind if that someone was Lockwood.<p>

* * *

><p>Soon after practice, Matt went straight home. He heard Vicky's small T.V. coming from inside her room. The lingering smell of chicken filled his nose and made his stomach growl like mad.<p>

Within minutes he was scarfing down the delicious food. Then he washed the dishes and went through the mail. House and cellphone payment. Along with another notice for Vicky from the dentist, insisting on checkup. The rest was junk.

"Anything good? I didn't really go through."

He jumped at Vicky's voice as she stood next to him, staring down at the letter.

"Just two new bills. Plus another notice for you from the dentist."

She groaned. "Please, those people could care less if they rotted. I'll go next Saturday."

"Real life is almost entirely about money, Vic. School saves you only if you try your best."

Vicky sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her cheek on his hair. "Thank god for the college fund. I don't think I'm smart enough for one of those fancy scholarships."

They stayed in silence for a moment while a chilling thought popped into his mind. _Could mom ever…? Would she ever dare to…? No, no. She can't. She wouldn't. _He knew his mother had left them a college fund. One, but it was there. The last time he checked was in early August before school started again. He remembered there was exactly 2,367 dollars. He was slowly putting in a percentage from each pay check into that account. With a rough estimation, there should be a little more than three thousand in there. By the time he would graduate, it should go up to around five thousand. Maybe a little less, depending on his manager's Christmas bonus. Last year was a good seven dollars an hour, bumping his salary to nineteen an hour for the entire month of December. He later realized the manager had only given four to the other employees. Or so he heard. He just hoped his mother wouldn't be so heartless as to touch that fund. He just hoped.

* * *

><p>Once Jeremy stepped out, he motioned for Tyler to close the door. The cold air felt surprisingly refreshing against his face.<p>

"I like what you did to the ring." Tyler said, the smile evident in his voice.

"Yeah. Thank Kat for that."

Tyler walked until he was standing right in front of him. The werewolf studied his face, the amusement fading. "I thought you said we were fine again."

"We are."

During dinner, he was having a back and forth dilemma with himself. If he told Tyler about his fears, what good would it do? All it would do is for Tyler to feel guilty for being something he can't control and would bring further tension between them. He also didn't want Tyler thinking he didn't want him. He knew it would have to happen someday and he couldn't keep being a four year old. He would have to overcome it on his own. Deep down, he knew Tyler wasn't a bad person. At least this was what he told himself.

He smiled the best he could. "According to the rumors at school, you haven't been as socially active as you used to be."

Tyler frowned, not expecting the topic. "Yeah, but so what? I have you now."

"That doesn't mean you should stop. I wouldn't mind if you went. I see that you're honest with my family so I trust you." he paused and gave him a small smile for emphasis.

Tyler must have sensed there was more but thankfully decided not to press it. Instead the werewolf smirked. "What about beer?"

"If you think it won't cause problems, go for it."

Tyler chuckled. "You're hiding something. But fine, you don't have to tell me."

He looked away. "It's something I prefer to handle on my own."

"Your aunt is trying to spy on us, by the way. Katherine is trying to pull her away."

"Jenna doesn't trust you yet. She thinks we're just fooling around."

"I wonder how she'd take it if she found out this is my first serious relationship?"

That got him to really smile. "I'm sure the whole town knows you haven't had _any _type of relationship."

Tyler looked embarrassed. "Probably."

"Your dad won't accept his son being an artist but he accepts him being a male whore. Nice."

The older boy shrugged and shoved his hands in his jean pockets, his gaze lowering to his necklace. "Jenna is gone. Can I?"

"What?"

"Kiss you."

His heart beat quickened. "Um…sure. I guess."

Tyler raised his eyes to his, amused before an arm wrapped around his waist, the other resting on his hip. He tensed noticeably enough for Tyler to pause before warm lips met his own.

Hot fire rushed threw him and he grabbed Tyler's jacket by the edges. He kissed Tyler with more force and started kiss along the right side of his face and suck at his earlobes.

"Jeremy," Tyler panted.

"What?" Was the only response before he kissed his path to the other ear.

* * *

><p>Jenna kept peeking towards the front door every couple of seconds, knowing they were probably in a tight lip lock just outside the house.<p>

"Aunt Jenna, do you trust me enough?" she heard Katherine suddenly ask in front of her as she leaned forward on the kitchen countertop.

"Enough? Don't be ridiculous, of course I trust you…unless you and Stefan are in the same room. Which reminds me, where is Stefan? I'm surprised he isn't here or you're texting away on your phone."

Katherine shrugged. "He's busy with school work. But we're still in touch."

"Okay, so what's with your earlier question then?"

"I was trying to refer to Tyler and Jeremy. You need to trust them."

"Jeremy I can trust in, it's Tyler I still need time. I can see what you meant about changing but this is Tyler Lockwood we're talking about."

"I would agree with you on that but…trust me…when I say that Tyler won't end up hurting Jeremy. Tyler told me he cared for the boy."

She frowned. "Really? 'Care' as in 'love' or…?"

Katherine shook her head. "Not love. At least not yet."

She raised an eyebrow in a "don't give me that bullshit" look.

"I saw his eyes, Jenna. And I just know things. Sure, Tyler personality won't change entirely into one like Stefan's but nobody's perfect. Anyway, did you notice the ring Jeremy is wearing today?"

"I think so. Why?"

"Tyler gave it to him."

She almost choked on her lemonade.

"Don't worry, it was just a gift." Katherine said, smirking.

She shot her a glare. Her niece sounded confident. Her guardian instinct still made her doubt when she thought about everything that Tyler said, she had softened somewhat on the guy. He had openly admitted he didn't want to go into politics, taking the risk of it getting out into town since he barely knew her.

"Fine." She finally said.

Katherine perked up at this. "Fine?"

She nodded. "I'll give him a chance. But if Jeremy comes out hurt in anyway, it's on both our heads."

"I know but Jeremy also is willing to take the risk."

* * *

><p>Caroline jumped, yelping slightly when she saw a male figure sitting at her kitchen table, pouring himself a cup of whiskey.<p>

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" she whined, placing a hand over her heart briefly before she closed the front door.

He ignored her comment and got down to business. "So how did it go?"

"With Jeremy? Fine. I plan to see him again on Monday."

"Elaborate 'fine'."

She placed her bag down on the table to open the freezer. "I couldn't go asking him questions about Tyler. Supposedly nobody should know about them."

"How did you find out?"

"It wasn't that hard."

"Hm. What I'm trying to know is how did the young Gilbert behave?"

"With me? Fine."

"If I hear that word one more time, love, I swear…"

She took out a packet of vegetables and slammed it closed, annoyed. "Well, I don't know what you're trying to ask me! How was he behaving? Normal! He looked tired but that's all I saw today! I couldn't talk to him much because he said someone was waiting for him! Anything else?"

Klaus stared at her in sincere surprise for a second before he looked slightly pissed off. Though it didn't seem to be directed at her as the blonde suddenly looked lost in thought.

"It seems a second visit is needed."

She waved him off and placed the vegetables in the microwave for two minutes. _What a weirdo. But at least he's cute. _

As the vegetables heated she walked over and rested her head on her hand, smirking down at him.

The man glanced at her.

"So…" she reached out with her free hand and touched a short strand of wave blonde hair. "My mom won't be home for a while."

A startled gasp escaped her mouth when Klaus' hand was suddenly gripping her jaw firmly.

"Not today, love. But there is something else you could give me."

Green eyes lowered down to her neck. Her eyes widened when the eyes turned black, dark veins appearing around the man's eyes. Klaus then grinned to reveal two sharp fangs.

"Hold still."

Her scream echoed through the house.

* * *

><p>Tyler had been working up a sweat later that night when his uncle called.<p>

"Hey."

"Glad to know you're alive."

"Huh?"

"Dinner."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah I'm alive. Jenna wasn't nearly as verbally aggressive as I thought she would be. She doesn't approve of me still but I have a feeling I softened her up a bit."

"Are you allowed over yet?"

"Not sure but Jeremy can give it a try." He went over and picked up a fifty pound weight off the floor. "I'm sure I don't have to ask about you. I can practically hear angles singing in the background."

Mason chuckled. "It's pretty good but it can be a lot better."

He paused for a background check. "If you're referring to your brother, save it. He doesn't have to know about you two. After graduation, Matt is going to need to move out for college. I, on the other hand, don't have your luck."

"You could follow your own advice."

He thought about this for a moment. "No…especially my mom would wanna come to visit me and she's eventually going to bring up why I haven't been dating anyone."

"That's true. I'm sorry then. But I can be there with you on the day in case Richard decided to attack."

"We'll see. I still got time. By the way…I told Jeremy last night about the mating."

"How did he take it?"

"Better than I thought he would. Though I know he's a little scared about it."

"Well as long as he doesn't decide to cut you off, then give him the time he needs. Christmas is still a couple of weeks away."

"Yeah. Today we got some time alone and Jeremy told me something. Something that got me thinking that maybe he's keeping something from me."

"What'd he say?"

"That I shouldn't give up going to parties."

"Hm. It's probably the fear of the mating. I wouldn't worry as long as he continues to talk to you. Keep me informed if anything happens."

"Sure."

"Don't forget about full moon on Tuesday."

"As if I could."

* * *

><p>Kyle smirked as Jeremy got on Skype.<p>

"Hey!" he greeted.

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "I see someone's having a better day."

"You're not?"

"Nothing I can't handle. What's your excuse?"

"Tomorrow," he paused and sighed almost dreamingly. "I see Brent again."

"Please don't make my day worse."

"Oh come on, I'm still alive. That counts for something, right?"

"Not to me. So where did he take you last time again?"

He squinted and looked at the ring hanging around his best friend's neck. "Is that new?"

Jeremy touched a finger to the ring. "Tyler gave it to me."

He chuckled, pointing a finger at him. "Ahhh so it's worth a lot of money too."

"I don't care and don't change the subject!"

He stuck out his tongue at him. "New Port Richey."

"To a bar." Jeremy confirmed.

He sighed. "Okay, Mr. Detective, yes to a bar. In which I drank when I promise you I wouldn't but you've drank alcohol before so fuck you."

"But you're younger than me."

"By a couple of months!"

"And you're fucking someone who's at least 3 years older than you. _That _is a big difference, Kyle."

He scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the screen. "I didn't ask you to come talk to me so you can make me feel like the bad guy."

"I just want you to be careful."

"And I am."

"Did you wear a condom?"

"No…but I'll start this time."

Jeremy shook his head in disbelief and supported his head on his hand. He mimicked his friend's action. They stayed in silence as he picked on the edges of his desk.

"I miss you." Jeremy said seriously.

He jerked his gaze up to the brunette's and felt himself smile. "I miss you too. So much. This town is not the same without you."

Jeremy finally smiled. "But then we did do some stupid shit together. So I shouldn't be too worried."

Before he could reply, Jeremy pointed at him. "Too worried being emphasized. You're still my best friend and you know I consider you my brother."

"Yeah, yeah. I would be worried about your relationship with your new boyfriend but you're better than me at this stuff."

Something flashed across the older boy's face. "Mm. Just wear a condom and try not to drink too much. Preferably not at all. Someone has to be a designated driver."

"Yes, mom."

Jeremy shot him a look.

"Condom and preferably no drinking. Check."

"Where are you going tomorrow?"

"St. Myers." He smiled. "Guess where I wanna take Brent? Guess. I'll give you a hint; my mom took us there when we were kids a few times. It's a diner."

Jeremy's mouth dropped open. "Capone's? The one with the live show?"

"You got it! We're leaving early. Though my mom is probably going to want to meet him. Ugh."

"I hope she does and I'm surprised. I thought it was going to be a motel."

"Shut up. Where is your guy taking you this weekend? Some Brazilian private island his daddy bought him for his birthday like Edward had in New Moon?" he challenged.

"Funny. I'm actually going with Matt and my family out of town for the day."

"Cheater!"

"I'm not. I told Tyler!"

"What did he say?"

"That he hated Matt."

"Duh. He would."

"But Tyler does wanna take me out of state for Christmas."

He leaned back in his chair roughly as he groaned. "Jesus, you suck ass! We're doing the same thing for Christmas this year; having my grandparents over, which they came today, by the way and, then going around the neighborhood, singing carols. Kill me now, _Please_!"

Jeremy broke out laughing hysterically.

"You had to do it with me every year with me so you shouldn't be laughing!"

"Your mom is going to make you wear the hat?" he asked between breaths.

Kyle glowered towards his bedroom door. "The green one with the deer ears that jingle with every move you make? It's going to be a long fight with Gabriela. She stopped liking to give into mom's desires to wear the light up nose. I tell you, my mom does it on purpose."

Jeremy managed to calm down. "Don't be hard on her, Kyle. You know you're lucky to have a family like that."

He felt his heart clench for his best friend. He didn't know what to say to that. After a brief pause he just gave the older brunette a soft smile and nodded. Thankfully, Jeremy then changed the subject.

* * *

><p>Katherine was momentarily shocked to hear Jeremy sudden burst of laughter coming from his room. At first, she thought her cousin had begun to cry. Then she listened and relaxed, content, before she returned her focus back on her book. Since what happened last night, she couldn't risk exposing her spell book or herself out in the woods for long periods of time. The vampire boss could bring friends. She couldn't leave Jeremy so defenseless.<p>

More ideas swam through her mind. She now wondered if there was any type of spell that prevented supernatural powers from entering a certain area. It would take too much for the whole house but maybe she'd be able to block off her cousin's room. That is until she found it. _Thirty down, three hundred and twenty six to go._

* * *

><p>Jeremy held the necklace above his face as the thought. He managed to convince Tyler to go to the party next Friday to celebrate the four day Thanksgiving weekend. They managed to make up and grope for a couple of minutes before Tyler quickly stepped away from him seconds before Jenna stuck her head out the door and sugarcoated the older boy's departure for the night.<p>

He sighed and turned onto his side, placing the pendant onto his nightstand. His gaze flicked towards the door where he heard footsteps pause outside his door. He smiled softly. It was one of the girls checking up on him. Probably Katherine. She had even warmed up some milk for him before he went to bed, telling him it would help him sleep better.

On awkward thoughts, he decided to ask Matt about his first time encounter with Mason. He didn't want to go into what would happen if Matt didn't have the information he needed. Admitting he was more frightening of what Mason could do than Tyler. Probably because the older Lockwood was the one who started the gruesome fight on Halloween. But he needed to eliminate the doubt. He needed to move on.

* * *

><p>How Matt decided to agree on meeting Mason at the school swimming pool was beyond him. He should have been finished reading his <em>Lord of the Flies <em>before he came but it was too late to go back now. It was now almost past midnight. He found Vicky was dead asleep by the time he received the invitation half an hour ago.

He had to shake his head in disbelief when he found Mason already set inside the pool. His arms stretched out behind him on the cement, a bowl of fresh looking strawberries at arm's reach.

"Mason." He called firmly.

"I would have invited you to the pool at the mansion but I don't think it would have turned out for the best."

"The school pool?"

"No one is here. I have a copy of the key."

"Please tell me you're not completely naked in there." He breathed as he eyed the clothes on a plastic white chair set off to the side.

Mason maneuvered himself until he was facing him, smirking. "So are you getting in or what?"

He looked around nervously. If someone found them like this, they were in the deepest shit of all shit. Not to mention the person—and maybe soon the town—would wonder why a Lockwood would be swimming naked with an underage teenage boy in the school swimming pool at one in the morning.

"We're alone. I've been listening the second I walked on campus."

"But that doesn't mean…someone can't…come in." he protested weakly. Jesus, did Mason look good enough to eat when the guy was wet.

The older male raised an eyebrow, waiting.

With a cuss, he began to undress.

"That's a good boy." Mason coaxed.

Moments later, he eased himself into the slightly too cold water.

"I can't believe the swim team is during winter season. Whoever came up with that is insane." He mumbled, letting out a breath. Mason said nothing as he swam over with a strawberry in his hand and cornered him back into the smooth tile. Mason then reached out until the fruit touched his lower lip. He hesitated for a second before he opened his and took a bite.

"You were on the swim team?" the older man questioned.

"No. I used to be one of the life guards during my sophomore year." He said, touching the man's stubble cheek. "I was one of the unlucky ones who got some action. When I saw the guy didn't come up after a couple of seconds, I knew something had happened. When I got him up, the head was bleeding. The ambulance ended up getting called and all that." He took another bite.

"Did the guy later find out you saved him?"

"The whole family did. Felt good to be noticed at least for a while."

Juice managed to dribble down his chin. Mason immediately swooped down and licked it off before their lips met. He dropped his hand to curl around his neck to pull him closer. He pulled back when his legs were lifted to wrap around the other's hips.

"Now you're insane." He protested. "Not here."

Mason tilted his head up as if listening to something. "No one."

"So what? This feels weird."

The werewolf dropped his head back down to look at him. "Who's taking you away to Costa Rica?"

"Oh, you're going to use that against me now?"

Mason's expression softened and leaned in close to him. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

He felt something tug on his heart at that. He nodded slowly, realizing he no longer felt cold. "I know."

"Then relax. Turn around."

His mouth dropped open in disbelief. "What about my turn?"

Mason sighed and rested his hands on either side of his head. "I can't let you top me, Matt. There are things in our nature. I can't explain it but…I can feel it."

He frowned, studying the man's features. He was serious, he looked serious. The information would have probably annoyed anyone, but surprisingly it didn't. It actually made his dick twitch in excitement. He liked being submissive.

He licked his lips and grinded against Mason. "Then go for it."

The flash of surprise in the werewolf's now amber eyes before he felt a finger thrust into him.

"Oh my god!"

The man brushed his lips against his ear. "I bet I can make you come with just my fingers."

He let out a breathy laugh. "You're on."

* * *

><p>Katherine was startled awake by her phone. She realized she had fallen asleep with her spell book on her lap, even after Jenna had announced she was going to bed hours ago.<p>

Her heart raced when she saw Stefan's name on the caller id.

"Yeah."

"I can't sleep."

She couldn't help a small smile. "I thought you needed time. You were certainly doing a great job ignoring me at school this morning. What happened?"

She heard him draw in a breath. "I needed to know you're okay."

She lay back down on the bed, rolling gently onto her side. "Yeah, I miss you too."

* * *

><p>Note: Don't be afraid to send me your thoughts! :)<p> 


	46. Murder

First Time for Everything

Chapter 46

**Note**: After only a few days since my last update, here is another one ;) I do apologize for the long wait. Yes, I was on vacation but I arrived back home only a few days prior to my first day of classes. Wasn't my choice.

And for the people who do actually read these (lol), I wanna make a comment about the chapters/happenings/plot so far. I know it's been a day to day events for a while now. I will try not to keep doing that (I'm sure you can imagine the reason). So far I have planned for the next chapter to begin the next morning again but then later down, it will do a "time skip"; maybe a week or so, not sure yet but I know it will be at least a week. I know 99% of you guys want Jyler sexy time to happen already *mimics Mr. Burns*. But all I can keep saying is…patience. XoXo

**Guest**: Bon jour! Hehe! Thank you very much for taking the time to read it :D It's so awesome that I have little fans over there in France too!

**Anonymous**: Lol! Yeah the old version of this story I wrote would probably never have Mason/ Matt together…maybe. I don't know. I just honestly didn't like where it was going. I don't know what my brain was thinking! So I'm beyond happy this one is working out way better :D You have no idea how grateful I am for you guys in taking the time to read it. Sometime I think since it's already so advanced, that people would think it's too much of a hassle to keep up.

**Anon: **Lol I know it's been almost fifty chapters now and nothing. After this chapter, I'm sure some people will get more irritated (you'll know what I mean later), but like I said just be patient. Pweeeassseeee! *puppy dog eyes*

* * *

><p>Steven washed the blood from his hands in the bathroom sink. He hadn't meant to do it; he had been drunk and oh so very hungry. But one thing was for sure: he didn't regret it.<p>

* * *

><p>After breakfast, Jeremy prepared himself for the day. While he waited for the girls to finish up, he decided to check in with Tyler.<p>

"Hey." Tyler mumbled sleepily.

"Lazy ass. It's almost eleven."

"Shut up, it's Saturday. Anyway, I woke up a while ago when the maids got here. I'm just lying in bed…on my lazy ass cause I actually deserve it."

"Is the door locked?"

Pause. Then he practically heard the full smirk now planted on the werewolf's mouth. "Afraid they might steal me away?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're so fucking full of yourself."

"Are you?" Tyler insisted lightly.

He hesitated for a second. "I trust you enough."

Jenna then knocked on his door. "Ready, Jere?"

"Yeah. I'll be right out." He called back. "Time for me to head out. Talk to you later."

"Tell Matt to keep his hands to himself."

"I could tell you the same thing but we'll just have to see how things turn out, won't we?"

"Hey…"

He hung up, smirking in triumph as Tyler called him seconds later. He shoved his phone into his pocket and grabbed his wallet before heading out the door.

Two hours later, after finishing dinner at Taco Bell, they all came to an agreement that he and Matt would go to the arcade while the girls did their shopping.

"But first, we need a favor from both of you." Katherine added.

"Uh oh." He mumbled.

She ignored him. "We wanna get some things for you guys too. So would you be such gentlemen in trying on the clothes for us?"

* * *

><p>"I'm off! See you guys later!" Kyle called as he reached the end of the stairs.<p>

"Hold on a minute, young man!" his mom yelled firmly. He grimaced, his gut clenching nervously. He paused and went back to the living door entry way where his parents were enjoying their lazy Saturday morning shows.

"Yes?"

His mother turned around on the sofa to face him, an expecting look on her face. When she said nothing else, he threw his arms up. "What?"

"When are we going to meet him?"

He sighed. "Next time. We're in kind of a hurry, mom."

She frowned, obviously not liking the idea.

"Let him go, honey. We can take a rain check this time." His father reassured.

Pause. "Fine, but don't stay out too late."

Another grimace. "Which in your opinion is…?"

"Twelve. And a phone call when you arrive at the bowling place and when you're about to come home, which I expect to be _not at twelve_."

"Dad!" he called, wanting more backup.

"Sorry, Kyle. That I agree with your mother. We'll talk about it in April."

"How will it make…"

He stopped, knowing he shouldn't press his luck. _What difference does it make if I'm eighteen? _He mumbled a barely audible agreement before he finally went out the door.

* * *

><p>Mason was typing away on the station computer when his cellphone rang, Richard's number on the screen. He glanced at his boss', Charles, office before he answered.<p>

"What a surprise, brother." He teased.

"Not like what I'm about to tell you. The sheriff called me a moment ago."

He frowned and lowered his voice. "What for?"

"There's been a murder; young girl from Tyler's school, seventeen year old Nancy Holder. Her body was found two hours ago by a passing jogger in the waterfall."

Mason closed his eyes, his heart beat quickened. He knew why the sheriff had called his brother. "Are they positive, Richard?"

"Two bite marks, Mason. Luck was on your side enough for the body to be facing downwards. Not that anyone would have taken the guy seriously but just knowing he's been a witness…"

"Was she raped?"

"They can't tell for sure. She was clothed when they found her but I'm sure the parents are going to order the analysis."

"I see. So what now?"

"The police will take it from here. I've told the sheriff about rounding up the council as soon as possible. Maybe Monday morning after the kids leave for school. All I've got so far is to keep alert and for more police to stay on the streets, especially at night and…"

"You want me to try to track them down."

"We can always use a second option."

He nodded. "I'll do what I can. I can't promise you anything."

"I know."

Dial tone.

* * *

><p>Kyle walked in with Brent into the Capone's Show and Diner place. The place wasn't as full as he thought it would be despite being a Saturday but Brent managed to buy tickets. Since it was the first show of the day, nobody really saw it as interesting.<p>

His goofy smile widened when he saw Luis. Brent decided to go simple attire of sweater and jeans. Though he couldn't help but admit that his boyfriend worked it better.

"_Que onda_?" Luis greeted in Spanish, giving them a smile. Feeling a little awkward and shy, he stuck out his hand with his own greeting. Luis looked at his hand and then at Brent who looked like he was biting off a laugh.

"You're funny" Luis teased and grabbed his hand carefully, pulling him into a hug. He felt his face heat up.

The show started half an hour later. Before then, they got to know each other a lot better. He learned Brent was working for his Master's Degree in law—the irony. He learned Luis was twenty seven, already had his Master's and was working as air traffic control in Eustis at Mid Florida Air Service Airport. Nice.

A waiter came by and dropped off a surprising round of fries and milkshakes.

"Any sauces for your fries?" the waiter asked.

"I'll take a ranch." Brent said, glancing over at him.

"Ketchup for me, please."

"I'm good, thank you."

"On me." Luis explained, smiling, after the waiter left. He was touched. The boys allowed him to choose his preferred flavored milkshake from the three—cookie dough, double chocolate chip, and banana. He easily reached for the double chocolate after munching on a few fries.

It was a good show like he remembered; funny and full of action. He was so into the play he didn't notice the two boys sending each other silent, knowing signals as they watched him with an almost predatory eye. He was so into the play he fell out of his seat as a felt a warm hand press against his groin, stroking lightly and almost making him gasp aloud.

* * *

><p>Tyler was staring at the two paragraph American Government essay that was due on Monday, the cruiser blinking continuously next to the sentence he managed to type out minutes ago. He couldn't stop thinking about Jeremy and the slight jealousy burning in his gut that Matt was the one that got the invitation. If it wasn't for the fact that his uncle was now his best friend's mate, the burning would have been intolerable.<p>

He had been thinking about ways off having Jeremy together more often, having more intimacy. He remembered a rave that happened every Saturday night at an old warehouse outside of town. The idea of bringing Jeremy to a rave sounded appealing. It would give them some time together outside of town, where people could give less of a shit about who they were as they get lost in their own world too. But then there was always that risk of getting recognized. If just one person saw…

He sighed and rubbed at his eyes, keeping the idea in mind before going back to his essay. Almost two hours later, he finished when his phone signaled a text message.

**Did you hear about Nancy? It's so sad :( I'll miss her!**

He frowned, re-reading the message. _What the fuck? _

Before he could finish his reply, he received another one.

**I heard only half of her body got found. **

And another.

**Too bad! She had a hell of a mouth!**

_Nancy? Nancy Holder?_

At least another ten messages came in within minutes until someone called him. It was from one of the continuous swim team members. Theodore Wilmont was probably one of the too few people who he wouldn't smile if they'd ever kicked the bucket. One of the reasons being Theodore was more attractive than Steven Dorlan. Steven knew it too and secretly it killed the fucking bastard. Even better, Theodore didn't like Steven either, being one of the reasons why he didn't ever join football.

"Hey." he greeted, unsure.

"Have you seen the news?"

"No; people keep saying all this shit about Nancy and…"

"Turn on the T.V."

He hesitated for a second before he reached over to his nightstand to grab the remote.

"No new evidence has been found on the murder of Nancy Holder. Her parents have declined attempts on making any comments towards the press at this time. Police have denied giving any sort of statement of information given by the parents at the police station but they do say that they're doing all they can to catch Nancy's killer and gather as much evidence needed to make a further decision in court that will take place probably within the next two weeks…"

"What?" was all that came out of his mouth. He was shocked. Nancy Holder was one of his one night stands but everyone knew she was one of the smartest girls in school.

"I know, man. I can't believe it either. I bet it's all everyone is going to talk about on Monday." Theodore mumbled, unimpressed.

* * *

><p>"You really like the taste of my cock don't you?"<p>

Oh yeah the little human definitely did. It was obvious the way he kept licking alongside the shaft, covering the flesh in saliva and taking it into his mouth while grabbing it in his hand. Klaus didn't even have to tell him to lick his balls, he just did it. Klaus decided to keep him a bit longer.

* * *

><p>Eager lips and wandering hands immediately attached to Kyle as soon as the door was locked. Clothes were stripped off and his back hit the soft sheets of the king sized bed. Eyes watched as Luis and Brent made out, wet suckles echoing off the walls, making his dick twitch in excitement.<p>

It felt like hours before he finally had someone around him. Luis had been gentle in jerking him off, rocking his hips until he had come on the Luis' hand, not that Luis seemed to mind. Brent then took Luis' dick into his mouth, his back towards him, giving him a view of the crease of Brent's ass. His brain suddenly chose to remember Jeremy. He bit his lip, not wanting to sound like a wuss but he knew it was best, not only for his conscious, but for his health.

"You guys wouldn't happen to have any…"

He stopped when he noticed Luis held up a condom. He relaxed. Luis then passed the little package over to Brent who quickly ripped it open.

"Ready?" Brent asked seconds later as he had positioned himself on all fours in front of him. He simply nodded, the air slightly too hot in the room as a drop of sweat managed to slide down behind his ear. He had looked up enough gay porn on his computer to know what he was supposed to do. He was scared as he was excited, he would be inside Brent. He moaned, his eyes closing as the head was shoved past the ring of muscle. Luis came from the side to kiss him open mouthed, tongues sliding sloppily, but oh so very fucking good.

He paused, thinking that he was supposed to wait for permission to continue. Fuck that shit. Without warning, he grabbed Brent's hips and pushed his dick in fully. That was a thumbs down. A cry of pain escaped Brent, apparently fucking fast wasn't as good as many people claimed. His hands gripped the boy's thighs less forcefully. He closed his eyes, letting out a breathy moan. Brent was tight.

"Shouldn't have done that, _papi_." Luis told him sympathetically then pressed his lips together in thought. "Perhaps we should switch…"

"No." Brent protested quickly. "I'm fine."

Luis's gaze flickered to his for a second. He shrugged, but feeling internally impatient to get off.

"You do know what to do, right?" Brent questioned him.

"Kind of…maybe…"

He slowly slid out of Brent's ass until only the head was still in. It didn't do much for him but he heard Brent's breath hitch in front of him.

Provoking a spark of confidence, he shoved in again, picking up the pace.

"That's it." Brent breathed approvingly.

Little by little, the confidence rose and he soon found his fingers digging firmly into the skin of Brent's hips and the man moving back and forth to meet his thrusts. Brent was probably more fucking himself then he was fucking him. He blinked into focus as Luis' leaking cock bumped his lower lip in an almost silent demand. He opened his mouth, lips trembling lightly. He teasingly licked the tip, making Luis' hip jolt in pleasure. He reached out and took the hot flesh into his hand, pulling the head into his mouth to suckle softly, testing new waters. He just hoped he would be able to fuck and suck at the same time.

"Mm…move like…" Brent mumbled but didn't finish his thought. Kyle gripped his hips slightly too rough as it seemed, making Brent pause his movements. The older brunette said something he couldn't make out and Brent was starting to wiggle his ass a bit. That helped wonders. He moaned with mouthful of cock, the vibrations making Luis mimic his rection.

The paced picked up again and he felt a slow build up in his balls. Luis reached out and took a hold of the base, stroking through his hair.

"Kyle…can I?" Luis asked desperately. He had about half of the flesh in his mouth. He didn't know what Luis was trying to ask but he nodded anyway. He found himself almost chocking when the older boy began to thrust into his mouth.

"Breathe through your nose. Relax."

Oh no he didn't last long after that. Not when one was hard fucking someone and their boyfriend's dick was in your mouth. With that amount of pleasure, it almost made you feel like you could pass out.

And that's exactly what he did.

* * *

><p>After practically one hundred and fifteen outfits, plus annoying audience members later, Jeremy—well, Katherine- came to pick out the best fifteen top items. Katherine's eyes then came upon a different aisle on the way out and ended up buying him four pairs of jeans and four different colors scarfs which, fortunately for him, came with almost a half hour lecture about how she'd kill him if he didn't wear them. But deep inside he couldn't help hate the feeling of being helpless and pitted upon; because he was sure that was the real reason behind Katherine's behavior. Why spoil him like this when they met for the first time four months ago?<p>

Jenna pitched in for Matt's clothing. Katherine ended up giving him his own death threat when the jock kept politely denying. Afterwards, they were finally able to leave when it was time for the girls to do their own shopping. Hallelujah. Before heading to the arcade, they stopped by Hot Topic where he grabbed a Slipknot band poster.

He noticed Matt's blank stare.

"Please don't tell me you've never heard of them."

Matt grimaced slightly. "I'm just not too into heavy metal bands."

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Matt chuckled. "I'll give them a try if you really want me to."

Matt and he spent a good two hours in the arcade store. Not too surprisingly, Matt had his competitive moments, especially at anything sport wise like shooting hoops.

"Can I ask you something?" he started as they searched for another game.

"Sure."

He licked his lips nervously, not sure if it was a good idea to bring it up. He would have to leave some things out since he was pretty sure Matt wouldn't want to know that Mason probably screwed up in their lives.

"How…was your first time?"

Matt stopped walking, lips twitching into a smirk and eyes turning away. "Why do you want to know?"

_Here we go. _"Tyler came to me two nights ago." He said slowly. "And he…told me something that got me a little nervous."

"What did he say?"

Two young females passed them, each eyeing them with interest. He avoided eye contact to give them the hint he wasn't interested.

"Tyler wants to take me away after Christmas. We've been avoiding full on sex. I was surprised about it, because it's Tyler. I thought maybe he just wasn't feeling ready for a guy…"

Matt's chuckled. "Maybe the world is going to end in December."

He snorted. "Then Tyler told me why. He said that…the first time, he's going to lose control of himself."

Matt silently motioned for him to follow towards an empty bench.

"He said that?" the blonde asked, hints of worry lacing his voice.

He nodded, lightly chewing on the inside of his bottom lip. Matt blew out a soft breath and shook his head in confusion. "Weird. Mason didn't. He's been fine. The first time was fine. Took me by complete surprise in the morning but…"

"So it wasn't scary or painful?"

"You can imagine why it was scary for me afterwards. As for pain, it wasn't unbearable. Didn't leave a wound on me either. I was just very sore in the morning so I don't know why Tyler would be so certain it's going to happen."

_Cause Mason told him. _He shrugged. "Maybe it's something he feels."

Matt's face softened. "Are you going to back out then?"

He hesitated. "I don't think so. On most part because it'll affect both of us. Plus, Tyler did say it was only going to be the first time. Do you guys use protection?"

"No. I trust him. But you guys could if it makes you feel better. Though I don't know how Tyler's other self will feel about that."

They spent a good time in silence after that. Matt was the first one to break it. "Tyler told you about it ahead of time. That must mean something. Honestly, Jeremy, I have a feeling it won't turn out as bad as he probably made it sound. He knows…as well as his wolf…that you're his other half. If there was any true danger, he would have thought of another option. I'll talk to him if you want but you'll be fine. Both of you."

* * *

><p>Daniel let out a breathy laugh as Klaus rolled off him and onto the mattress.<p>

"Fucking amazing."

He rolled onto his side and let his gaze slide over the older man's glistening skin.

Klaus just stared at him blankly.

He slowly reached out a placed a hand on the vampire's belly, stroking the warm skin with his fingertips and eyeing the contrast of his chestnut skin compared to the pallor of Klaus, it was strangely erotic.

"Why are you still here?"

The question caught him by surprise. He rose his gaze to the older man's who still stared at him without expression. Hurt and disappointment curled in his gut. He mentally hit himself for feeling like such a girl.

He nodded and made a move to leave when a firm hand reached out and took a hold of his arm.

"That's not what I meant." Klaus said slightly annoyed and sat up, taking his chin in a firm hold to make him look directly into exquisite green eyes. He jumped, his hand involuntarily reaching up to cover the fresh bite on his neck.

"When was the last time Steven compelled you?"

He felt a little light headed. "Since the threesome."

The vampire let him go. "You're here on your own free will?"

He licked his lips, feeling his face heat up. "You can say that."

He took his hand off his wound and moved closer, bringing blood-stained fingers up to the vampire's lips.

Klaus sucked them clean before he was pinned down on the mattress. The older man smirked.

He closed his eyes as he felt himself being entered. Again.

* * *

><p>Matt was asleep on Jeremy's shoulder while Vicky slept on Matt's. Jeremy's eyes were threatening to close for at least a good fifteen hours as he supported his head on his hand. After three and a half hours of traffic he almost cried tears of joy when he saw the welcome sign to Mystic Falls. He raised his head when he saw the flash of police lights up ahead. He could barely see anything with the downpour of rain but he managed to see a few police men directing traffic as well as a news a camera man.<p>

"What was that?" he heard Vicky mumble sleepily.

"Car crash maybe. I hope they're all okay." Jenna said quietly.

* * *

><p>Tyler was staring at the T.V. screen when Mason pulled his truck in front of the house. After managing to make up a credible excuse to his parents for his arrival, his uncle came up the stairs.<p>

"Come in." he mumbled, not turning around as his uncle closed the door behind him. Mason then glanced between the screen and him, his expression turning grim.

"So you know."

"For about two hours."

Mason sat down on the edge of the bed, watching the news lady continue to blab about the devastating situation.

"Did you know her?" his uncle asked quietly. He simply nodded, eyes staring right through the glass.

Mason sighed, running his fingers through his slight stubble. "Did you two ever date?"

He snorted. "No. But I'm pretty sure the police will be knocking on the door soon. Not too worried since I have nothing to hide."

He looked over at his uncle's face and saw something troubling in the man's eyes. The heart beat was a little too quick, indicting something was up.

"What is it?"

No reply.

He sat up. "Do you know something?"

Mason swallowed and grabbed the remote, turning off the T.V. "I might know who did it."

His mouth dropped open, eyes searching the older werewolf's. "What?"

Mason gave him a serious look. "Share nothing to anyone about what I'm about to tell you. Your parents must not know you know this or they kill me, got it?"

He nodded, feeling a little eager to know.

"Your parents and others from town, including most of the police force, are part of a secret council. I used to be in it before I left town but your father called me at work to tell me about the murder."

"Why secret?"

"Do you remember the talk we had during breakfast one morning? The day I told you I was a werewolf too?"

He nodded. "Yeah…what about it?"

"I'll come to you."

He frowned, trying to understand. The conversation about aging, the pain of the transformations and—

"No!" he blurted out a little too loudly. Mason covered his mouth quickly, giving him an annoyed glare. _Holy shit, holy shit! No, no, it's not possible! _

Mason took off his hand.

"Don't give me that bullshit." He growled, feeling a little nauseous.

"They found two puncture wounds on the neck, Tyler. No visible signs of rape but nobody's sure yet. Anyway, it can't be the warlocks. Their kind doesn't have an aggressive history like the vampires do. They don't tell what they are to others outside their own family. Much less now and in this way." Mason offered, cocking his head towards the T.V.

He closed his eyes and rested his head on his hands, gripping his hair.

"If I have ever met a witch, I wouldn't know. I met a vampire only once but that was I was in a pack."

He looked up. "And?"

"She wasn't aggressive. Only passing through and I didn't talk to her."

"Was she pale?"

His uncle smirked slightly at this. "No. A friend told me they're not like how movies nowadays projects them. They're not pale, they have reflections, garlic and holy water doesn't affect them in anyway. They can't go out in the sunlight, but they can get special objects made with the help of witches that allow them to."

"Stakes kill them?"

"That and decapitation."

"Are they stronger than us?"

"We're more vulnerable in human form. But one bite from us—shifted or not- kills a vampire rather quickly, depending on the size of the wound and the approximate distance to a major blood vessel. Either way, they don't usually live past twenty four hours."

* * *

><p>Mason felt bad for his nephew. It was his fault; he suspected the boy would eventually know about the girl's murder. He couldn't imagine the danger the town, Jeremy—<em>Matt<em>—were in if there was even more than one.

The young wolf stayed in silence and rested his temple on his hand for a moment before he looked at him once more, seeming to mirror his thoughts.

"Do you think it was only passing by?"

_It. Good boy. Already feeling the hatred towards the threat. _He shook his head firmly. "Don't go there. All we're going to do right now is keep alert and our mouth shut."

His nephew didn't need to know about his hidden agenda and he hoped Tyler wouldn't develop a similar one or his parents would have his head for dinner.

"Fine."

* * *

><p>Jeremy heard the rain pounding down on the roof. He shivered, the air feeling colder; heater doing almost nothing to warm up the house. He stepped out from the bathroom and gasped in fear when he saw a figure standing outside his window. It took a few seconds to realize it was Tyler.<p>

He huffed in disbelief and went to go get a towel. It was almost one in the morning and it was still downpour since they left the mall. The security had to practically drag the girls out at closing time.

"You're fucking insane. Just wanting to let you know." He said when he opened the window sill and handed the towel to Tyler.

"Just trying to check if you arrived safely."

"Could have called. Especially in this weather."

Tyler didn't reply as he dried himself the best he could. Jeremy raised an eyebrow as the guy eyed his room as if searching for something before it came to a stop. He followed the werewolf's gaze to the shopping bags on the floor by his desk.

"Slipknot poster and some clothes Katherine got me. I don't know how girls can stand trying on so much clothes." Katherine also decided to buy him some scented body soaps from The World Market shop. In his shoes, no one had to be smart to know she did it with Tyler in mind. He had decided to try one out; kinda making him wish he didn't, now that Tyler happened to stop by.

"You should get out of those clothes." He offered, blushing when Tyler smirked. "I mean so you won't get sick, pervert."

"I haven't gotten sick since I became a werewolf."

Tyler suddenly had him cornered against the wall. He let out a small laugh or disbelief when their lips met. He didn't think he's met anyone so horny. But with a face and body like Tyler's, he didn't mind.

"Cold, Jeremy?" Tyler teased lustfully as warm lips brushed along his jaw and trailed down to his neck, breathing in the scent there. He let his head fall back to give Tyler more access, absent mindedly spreading his legs apart to let the older boy between them. Tyler's hand slipped underneath his shirt and gently caressed his skin. He looked at Tyler in surprise when he felt a hand grip the hem of his shorts.

Tyler smirked and tugged his pants down along with his underwear.

He watched Tyler through his lashes as the other boy stripped himself down all the way. He then reached for this sweatshirt, tugging on it slightly for emphasis.

He hesitated. He didn't like the cold. He especially didn't like the sound of getting sick.

"You won't need it." Tyler explained. He blushed, realizing the werewolf was going to use his deliciously warm body to replace the sweatshirt. Boo hoo. He lifted his arms up and closed his eyes as Tyler quickly tugged it up, throwing it to the side carelessly. Tyler quickly wrapped his arms around him as he carried him to the bed and placed him down.

An unexpected moan escaped his mouth as a hand suddenly wrapped around his semi-hard dick. Tyler quickly covered his mouth with his free hand before he continued stroking along his hardening member. He couldn't keep his eyes open as he felt his hips thrusting into the rhythm of Tyler's hand. The werewolf began to rut against his inner thigh and couldn't help the small, muffled moans coming from his mouth.

Feeling bold, he blindly unbuttoned Tyler's jeans and reached inside, trying to mimic the other boy. But Tyler surprisingly grabbed his hand and tugged it away, pinning both his arms over his head.

He whined, only getting it muffled by the hand. Tyler simply grinned and stroked him harder, thumb circling the slit as a hard dick continued to rut against him. At this, it didn't take long before Jeremy came, having to bite his lip to keep from screaming out.

After glow gone moments later, Tyler released his hand and cock, watching with heavy eyes as the werewolf curiously inspected his sticky hand. _He is not. _Tyler met his eye. _Holy shit._ One by one, fingers were licked clean of his juices. Surprisingly it didn't make him blush; he found it incredibly hot. He then reached up and pulled the older boy down for a kiss, tasting himself.

* * *

><p>The kiss lasted only for a short time when Tyler suddenly broke the connection and climbed off the bed. Jeremy let out a moan that sounded like annoyance to Tyler, probably thinking that he was leaving. Well Tyler had no intention to do so and began to open his jeans fully, slowly sliding it down, at the same time as his black boxers with it.<p>

He could see Jeremy's eyes following his every move, felt them moving alongside his frame and lingering on his cock. Damn his cock, it was still hard and needy, wanted to be released. Desperately released and soon. He had the feeling he would soon be exploding like the 4th of July. Seeing Jeremy eye-sexing him, he began to stroke his cock while still standing. The sight seemed to please Jeremy very much as he kept following the movement and took in deep breaths.

Suddenly Jeremy's eyes wandered up to his own and after a second or so he lay back, eyes still fixed on him, making him wonder what he was going to do next. Then Jeremy started to raise his legs, holding them at the back of his knees, presenting his full ass to him.

His brain had a short circuit and he felt himself moving as if being in trance. Some distant voice somewhere in the back of his head called him to stop, but he didn't listen. His cock had taken control and Jeremy's twitching hole was like a siren call to him.

* * *

><p>Jeremy's anticipation grew and grew as he saw Tyler advance, his eyes on his ass, his nostrils flared and his cock leaking precum.<p>

_Shit, he's gonna fuck me. It's finally going to happen!_

His cock had hardened again at the thought of Tyler fucking him right there, right then, making the bed move with his thrusts.

Tyler came down to him, positioned himself between his legs and let him pull his head down for a kiss. As their lips where locked and their tongues dancing, he could feel Tyler fumbling with his cock, trying to position it at his hole. His heart was racing like mad at the prospect of having Tyler inside him; he was actually shaking a bit. He could feel the head of Tyler's cock running through the crease of his ass, searching for the entrance, making him even hornier and both of them moaning into each other's mouths. Then it happened, he felt Tyler at his entrance, felt the very first pressure of pushing against the muscle and his mind was racing forwards again to the point where Tyler would be inside him, thrusting and moaning, fucking and kissing him at the same time.

Suddenly Tyler became spastic; he broke the connection of their lips and moaned loudly into the night, making him open his eyes and watch the spectacle of a moaning and sweaty Tyler. At the same time he felt something warm and fluid hit his ass and run down on it.

_Fuck that was hot_; thought one part of him, the other thought, _damn it._

* * *

><p>Katherine sighed, relived the noises were gone. <em>God, I hope Jenna was out cold. Could those two be any more conspicuous? <em>She heard Stefan laugh on the phone.

"So Tyler and Jeremy huh?"

"Sometimes unfortunately." She snorted softly, a smile on her lips. She glanced at her alarm clock. "Hey, gotta go. Jenna said she was going to wake us up at seven to clean the house."

"Why seven? And I…can't imagine you cleaning."

"Something about being responsible and productive. And by now you should know life's full of-

Tyler's loud moan chose the moment to travel through her bedroom wall. She frowned, not really surprised but more of annoyed. _If Jenna hears it, I'm so not going to cover! _She felt that wasn't true; damn it. "…surprises."

* * *

><p>"Hand me my sweat shirt, please?" Jeremy asked Tyler as he slipped under the covers.<p>

"I'm going to spend the night."

His eyes widened. "Seriously? But what about your parents and Jenna? I'm surprised she hasn't come to the door, threatening with a bottle of pepper spray."

Tyler smirked and leaned over, kissing him. "My parents think I'm with Matt. Jenna doesn't have to know, right?"

"Right." He said slowly.

"So…can I stay with you?"

Tyler was adorable when he looked nervous.

"Sure."

Tyler flashed a quick smile before he moved onto his side and wrapped an arm around his waist, placing his head on his chest. _A cuddling Tyler…nice._

"You realized what we nearly did right?" Tyler's voice was full of concern.

He sighed. "Yep, we were about to actually fuck. Would have been fun."

Tyler looked up at him. "No it wouldn't. First I haven't figured out how to do our first time yet and second, we had no lube. I would have raped you."

"No you wouldn't," was his angry reply.

Tyler looked down first, then up again. "Ok, I wouldn't but you still would have been hurt big time. You have a mangina, remember? Unlike a girl vagina, they don't come pre-lubricated."

"Ok, ok. I get it," He replied grumpily, not in the mood to talk about vaginas. "Hey…do you happen to know anything about a car accident or anything today in town?"

Tyler paused. "Why?"

"When we came back to town, we saw a bunch of cops gathered around just a little bit past the welcome sign."

"No don't know anything about it."

"Oh. Well I hope nothing bad happened to anybody."

Tyler suddenly changed the subject. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

He sighed and let his hands run through Tyler's hair. "Jenna told us tomorrow Katherine and I will be helping her clean the house. I don't want to imagine how long that will take. If you wanted to hang out…"

Tyler squeezed his side. "Not tomorrow. I need some tutoring for math so I'll be hanging out with Matt. Old man's orders. But I asked because…there's a rave I've been to outside of town a few times. It's every Saturday night. Good stuff starts around eleven."

He hesitated. "But if we go together…"

"I think we'll be fine. You don't have to give me an answer now; think about it."

"Ok," was his response as he pressed Tyler closer to him, inhaling the werewolf's sweaty scent and feeling the heat of his body against his skin.

Suddenly Tyler pulled away. "I can't believe that this is happening."

_Okay… _"What do you mean?"

"I don't think you want to know," Tyler rolled away from him, his eyes fixing on the roof.

He growled, "Hey I saw you and your uncle beat the shit out of each other! I think I have the right to know everything!"

Tyler sighed again. "A year ago… had someone just suggested that I would even be looking at another boy the way I do at you, I would have punched him in the face."

It dawned on him. "So what you are saying is that you were pretty homophobic." It wasn't a question.

Tyler didn't answer, only rolled on his side, with his back to him.

He was half way doing the same and half way wanting to say something. He decided for a third option. He turned towards Tyler, moving closer to him and embraced him from behind, their bodies in spooning fashion. On the back of his mind he noticed that this felt really nice, having Tyler's butt pressed against his pelvis area, His cock inside Tyler's crease. It made him horny and he felt his cock stir again, albeit it hurt a bit.

Tyler groaned, "You can't want another round."

"Why not?"

Tyler groaned in annoyance, but nonetheless took one of his hands in his own.

Suddenly a random thought came into his mind and he had to suppress a chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"Well, a year ago you were a homophobic jock and now you are a fully initiated butt pirate."

"First, I wasn't in your butt yet and second why is that funny?"

He suppressed another chuckle and answered. "You Tyler Lockwood are a stereotype."

"I am not."

"Yes you are," He said and started grinding against the older boy's ass, "a very hot stereotype."

"Oh so I am a stereotype?" Tyler tried to sound annoyed but ultimately failed.

"Yeah you are. My boyfriend is a very hot stereotype."

Tyler's eyes got round at the choice of words. He quickly turned around and gave him a kiss.

"What was that for?"

"I'll explain later. Now come here!" He turned around again and pulled him on top. "Grind against me."

He didn't hesitate, sending waves of pleasure through him.

"You know," Tyler started between soft pants while he kissed his neck, "first Matt and now me. If you don't watch yourself, there might be no straight guys left in the team."

He simply grinned.

* * *

><p>Matt tried to hold back his grunts as Mason pounded into him, the sound of slapping skin echoing off the walls. Mason had been ready to attack, naked and erection proud on his bed when he opened his bedroom door. He thanked all the divine powers from above that his sister mumbled a goodnight, barely keeping her eyes open as she passed him and went straight to her room. Jeremy had promised to bring the rest of their stuff tomorrow so they wouldn't get wet.<p>

Mason chanted "mine" under his breath. He felt so close as he reached to stroke his cock to the rhythm of the werewolf's hard thrusts into his ass.

"Oh…" was all he could say when he spilled over, Mason slapping his ass in encouragement. He frowned when he felt the older boy pull away. He glanced over to see Mason stroking himself, panting hard and licking his lips. Seconds later, Mason gasped, shivering as he came on his ass. He didn't hesitate to admit it was quite a view but he couldn't help worry over why the guy had decided…

He moaned when Mason used his come and slipped it inside him, rubbing some all over the inside of his ass.

Mason breathed a laugh before he leaned down and kissed his back. "I missed you."

He turned around, eyeing the older man. Mason walked into the bathroom to clean himself and brought some toilet paper for him.

"Thanks."

Mason leaned down and kissed him deeply before he grabbed his jeans from the floor and began to dress.

"You haven't properly met my sister." he blurted as he wiped himself off.

Mason looked surprised that he brought it up so randomly. "No, I haven't."

"You're going to be spending Thanksgiving at your brother's right? Vicky and I are invited too."

"You are?"

"Tyler's best friend, remember? Duh." he lowered his voice. "And a warning ahead of time, Tyler's parents don't like Vicky very much. I'm guessing it has to do with her drug problem she had before. Just don't mention any of this, please."

"I won't." Mason recurred as he finished buttoning his shirt.

"We're seriously doing that again?"

The werewolf came over and kissed him again, caressing his face gently.

"Goodnight, princess peach." The guy whispered against his lips before he grabbed his jacket and, this time, went out the backdoor.

"Princess peach?" he mumbled to himself in disbelief. "Seriously?"


	47. Realization

First Time for Everything

Chapter 47

**Dedicated fan**: Thank you :D Wooo well if you thought that chappie was mind exploding, wait til you see this one! Enjoy hehehe!

**Nobody**: Very interesting review. Seriously. Yeah it's been so such a long story so far haha! I'll be splitting this story into two. I don't know how many chapters the story will have but it will be picking up probably immediately after the final chapter for this one. But things can change since this part of the story still has a pretty good way to go :) I've had an excellent teacher, simbawriter82, with me through this and I thank him for all his patience and help he's been giving me. I wanted to keep Tyler's personality as close as he was in the show at the beginning. Slowly, he began to change but there are still bits and pieces of the old Tyler which I love. This chapter will bring this up again haha. Klaus has been the character that I feel personally is always a little more difficult to write about. Anyway, I first came aware of Jyler thanks to this site. When the show first came on, I didn't notice their chemistry but I got so hooked on them when I read my first story. I'm a huge Teen Wolf fan too. I love Stiles and Derek together and I'm praying that they happen or at least become good friends in the next season. But I would simply love for the producer to make a gay pairing that we can see interaction with a good time of the show. I apologize for the grammar errors, I know I continue to do them :/ And I also do find my reading in their voices as a writer and read sometimes hehehe you're not alone! High five! Thank you so much for your review and I look forward to seeing more comments from you! Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Good morning." Jenna greeted calmly from the kitchen as Jeremy and Katherine went down the stairs in their pajamas, moving in a manner more typical for old-style zombies than human beings. Both mumbled an incoherent greeting, still trying to wake up. She stopped next to Jeremy where Jenna was sitting on the table, two pieces of paper in front of her. Their aunt seemed…worried.<p>

"Here is your duty list. You don't have to do them in the listed order but I do expect for everything on there to be done by the end of the day, so no one leaves the house until then. But of course you can have breakfast first." Jenna continued, handing them the piece of paper. She grabbed hers, blinked a few times and squinted down through the dim light given by the cloudy, cold morning. _Bedroom, bathroom, your laundry, windows, sweep the floor…BATHROOM?! Okay, Peirce, calm down. Jenna wouldn't be that cruel. _

She looked over at Jeremy's paper. _Bedroom, bathroom, mop floor, your laundry, sweep and clean patio._ The last task was scratched out.

"I decided to take out the patio one for you, Jeremy, because you don't even wanna know how cold it is outside."

She cleared her throat as she looked back at her aunt. "Surely by 'bathroom' you do not mean…"

"I mean the toilet too." Jenna finished for her. Her mouth dropped open.

"Jenna! How could you do this to me? I'm fine with everything else but please don't let me clean _that!_" she spat the last word like a foul curse.

Jenna's facial expression was unmistakable; she was absolutely not surprised of her complaining. "The toilet gets dirty too, Katherine. And I expect for you two to clean your bathroom once a week from now on."

"When was the last time you cleaned it?"

Jenna looked taken back. Jeremy smirked.

"Excuse me? I should be asking you that. I haven't been in your room unless you were in it since you've been living here!"

She grimaced, closing her eyes. "You mean it's been like that for over a year now?"

"I'm guessing it has. The supplies are under the sink cabinet."

"Jeremy!" she squealed in horror.

"Not doing it for you." Jeremy said curtly and sat down to eat his breakfast.

She opened her mouth to continue protesting but decided it was off no use. She huffed and pulled her sweater closer to herself, curling her toes inside her fluffy, pink slippers. "So what's with the face this morning? Cramps?"

Jeremy's slight choking was ignored.

Jenna pressed her lips together for moment. "You wanna know now?"

Jeremy turned in his seat, still chewing as he looked between them with a small frown on his face. "Is it about the scene last night? Did the news say what happened?"

Jenna nodded, solemn. "I'm afraid it wasn't a car accident."

Her heart picked up, her mouth dropped open slightly. _Oh no. Please don't say it. _

"There's been a murder. Nancy Holder."

She looking out the window. Nancy, the girl from her English class last year. Smart, pretty Nancy. One of the many people she didn't really talk to. Yet, she felt horrible.

"I'm guessing she used to go to our school." Jeremy said quietly. Her gaze briefly turned to the French toast, appetite gone.

"I'm going to go start cleaning." she mumbled.

* * *

><p>"You think Steven did it?"<p>

"I know he did." Klaus replied to Elijah, semi distracted as he watched Daniel's drugged face stare up at the ceiling, the boy spread across his lap half naked.

"Why?"

"Boredom, out of impulse, it doesn't matter." he ran his fingertip gently over the healing wound, slipping the digit into his mouth, his other hand running through the male's buzzed hair.

"Be patient."

"He'll kill again."

His brother sighed. "Must I be your therapist?"

"Do you want me to snap Dorlan's head off like a twig?" Daniel let his eyes slid shut and let his head drop to the side towards him, content with his touch.

"Patience."

"I don't know how much I have left."

* * *

><p>Jeremy decided to get first started on his laundry. He took them out to the washing machine in the patio. He grimaced at the bitter cold weather. He wondered if even the animals could withstand it. Loading it quickly minutes later, he went back inside with his empty basket, thinking of Tyler. He smirked at the memories of this morning coming back to him.<p>

He had watched Tyler dress after Jenna had announced her nephew's early wake up call. After that, they made out for five minutes, or better Tyler had made out with him. Considered that he was naked and Tyler fully dressed that might have been the best way to describe it. The jock had teased him with licking the head of his dick before he held up a hand for Tyler to wait as he went to go get his boyfriend's gift from Hot Topic. Tyler was surprised when he gave him the black necklace cord.

Tyler had smiled and took off the ring from his finger, taking it through one side of the cord and hooking it around his neck. His boyfriend then gave him one last kiss and he whispered, "Thank you."

With Jenna's warning from downstairs, Tyler smirked and slapped his ass playfully.

"Don't get sick on me." the guy had said before slipping out the window.

He was a little worried about Tyler too, even if the guy did have an above average human body temperature. The phone suddenly rang as he was about to go upstairs.

"Can you get that please, Jere?" Jenna asked from the couch in the living room as she worked out in front of the TV. He rolled his eyes and placed the basket down, jogging quickly to the phone on the kitchen counter.

"Sommer's residence."

"My baby! How are you doing?" his mother's cheerful voice answered.

He smiled and leaned against the counter top. "Hi mom. I'm doing great."

"I can tell." pause. "It wouldn't be because of a girl would it?"

He paused, licking his lips as his face grew slightly hot. "Maybe."

"What's her name?"

He bit his lip. "Anna."

"Anna." Her mom repeated thoughtfully. "Is she in one of your classes?"

"Yeah. My math."

"Is she pretty?"

"She's…gorgeous."

His mom squealed. "Is she a junior?"

"Yeah. She lives with her mom in town."

"Are you two dating or you still mustering up the courage?"

He snorted. "We're defiantly together, mom."

"That's my boy! Are using protection, right?"

He flushed hard. "Mom!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just don't want to be a grandma yet when you still have so much ahead of you!"

He sighed. "We haven't done that yet, I promise."

She sounded relieved. "Okay well just remember…when the time comes. How long have you two been together?"

"Few days."

"And how is she like? What… drew you to her besides her looks?"

He double took when he saw Katherine standing at the kitchen entrance- he hadn't noticed her there - smirking and shaking her head. He motioned for her to get out. She made kissing faces before she left. _And she thinks I'm weird? _

"Um…well he—she's" he closed his eyes. "…different. She makes me feel things I've never felt before. She's into art, she's rich, and can be arrogant sometimes but I think…she's slowly becoming a better person. And, in a way, I guess I'm changing too. For good, of course." _Acceptance to a whole 'nother level. _

His mom said nothing.

He opened his eyes. "You still there?"

"Yes. Sorry. I just didn't expect for you to say that. You sound different… happier since I last talked to you."

He licked his drying lips, feeling guilty in lying to his mom about his sexuality. She's never seemed to suspect, never pushed when asked him about any crushes he had in school.

"I am."

"I'm glad, baby. You've been through so much."

He frowned. "You have too, mom. And I wish I…" He paused when an idea popped into his mind.

"What is it, honey?"

"Mom, I think I know how to help."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't worry about it. Um, so are you still heading over to my grandparent's?"

Another pause. "Yes. By the end of the week I'll be moved in. They didn't want me paying while I'm still looking for a job. I left Kyle a voice message last night to do me the favor in helping me."

He went over and sat down on the table. "So…what'll happen to the house?"

Pause. "I didn't want to tell you, Jeremy."

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against his hand. _Shit. _

"I told your aunt not to tell you either that I couldn't keep up with the house payments and your father is being the ass that he is and not keeping up the child support."

He ran a hand over his stubble. "We lost it."

"We lost it." His mother repeated so softly. "But tell me, what are you thinking of trying to help?—Oh no."

He wiped the tear going down his face. "Yes, mom, I'm working whether you want me too or not. Especially with this. I'll manage, we both always have somehow."

"You have school. What about homework?" she protested.

"I'll only go a few times a week. Three is my final deal."

"Two."

"Three. Please don't argue with me. Think about it too, I'll help my resume with working experience. I'll give me a chance to meet new people outside of school."

She groaned. "You should go into politics. Your arguments are just…"

He smirked softly. "So is that a yes?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Thanks mom. I have to get back to cleaning but I'll call you…"

"Oh." His mom said and began to laugh. He smiled at the sound, heat lifting a little. "Oh my goodness Jenna, you're good as ever. Alright darling pass her on."

"Okay…"

"And something else."

"Yeah?"

"How rich are we talking about here?"

He rolled his eyes. "Pretty." _What a damn understatement. _

By the time Katherine and he were done and hit the showers, it was a little half past noon. Jenna had already begun dinner downstairs as the smell of grilled shrimp filled his nose. Fishing for one of his new sweaters, he heard quick footsteps down the stairs. Moments later, the front door opened and closed. His phone signaled a text message.

**I'll be back ;)**

_Uh oh. A winky face. That's not good, right?_

He fished out his sketch book and pencil and sat down on his bed, thinking of his object of inspiration.

An hour and half later, the front door opened again. By that time he had probably drawn Tyler's eyes at least fifteen times. And his ass twenty.

Katherine knocked on the door minutes later.

"Come on." He said, setting the book aside.

His cousin stepped in and held up a bag with a smile on her face. "Ready for a shave?"

About half an hour later, he stared in awe at his reflection in his bathroom mirror, Katherine resting her chin over her hands on his shoulder with a smug smile.

The light stubble ran perfectly around his cheeks, stopping just below his cheekbones. It continued over his upper lip, seeming to purposely avoid the area under his bottom lip as it caressed his jaw, chin, down his neck, and over his Adam's apple.

"I'm the best, I know."

"I look older." He said, not particularly annoyed with this.

"Not to mention sexy. Now we just have to keep it trimmed exactly like this. I can help you out until you feel like you can do it on your own. So for now, don't you dare ruin my master piece."

"Thank you." he said, a smirk crossing his lips.

"Don't mention it." Katherine said, handing him the expensive looking razor. "Now I'll be going again. I told Stefan I'd be at his place this afternoon."

He hesitated, remembering the day at school when she had told him Stefan had roughly put his hands on her for no apparent reason that he knew of. The glimpses he's gotten of Stefan at school the past few days, he didn't seem strange at all. Looked guilty, sad, maybe even a little scared like he ought to be.

"You sure? Last time…"

"All in the past, I promise. I see you later."

He watched her walk out of the door.

"Don't touch the master piece!" Katherine reminded him. He rolled his eyes and looked back at his reflection, touching the stubble carefully.

"Jeremy!" Jenna suddenly called from downstairs.

"Yeah?"

"How would you like to invite Anna and her mother to dinner? You could bring Vicky too!"

"Hi, Jeremy! How was yesterday?" Anna 's voice called out from his phone minutes later.

"It was pretty good. Lots of shopping…ugh."

Anna laughed. "Good to know. So what's up?"

"Are you guys busy?"

"Me and my mom? Well we're about to make dinner. Why?"

"What do you think your mom will say about coming over for dinner today?"

* * *

><p><em>Tyler felt the bed dip, sitting up quickly only to have a certain, very naked, chocolate-eyed brunette push him back down firmly. A full mischievous smirk planted on tantalizing pink lips as the <em>_boy__ leaned down and made a long, clean swipe over his lips before kissing him open mouthed. He reached out and ran his fingers over his mate's broad shoulders and soft back to the round formation of his ass cheeks. He squeezed hard enough to get a moan from the younger __boy__. Suddenly their positions switched and Jeremy was on his stomach, ass in full view. He got in between them, grabbing his already engorged cock and traced it along the outside of the boy's crack. Jeremy whined, arching his lower body up to get more. Sweat beaded down his back now in anticipation as he spread the __boy__'s cheeks apart and slid i__n__ between them. A gasp __came__ from below, then a rock of hips, making his cock easily slide in between the soft skin and a wet slick echoing in his ears. _

Tyler was shaken awake by a red-faced best friend.

"You just ruined my possibly best dream so far!" He growled, glaring daggers.

"Exactly _why _I woke you up. You can't keep your dreams to yourself. You kept moaning Jeremy's name like some wonton girl. I could hear it all the way in my bathroom."

He smirked, amused. Matt hit him for it.

"Not funny." The blonde said, heading to the kitchen. "Want anything?"

"I'll take some oj, Mr. dream ruiner. Thanks."

"Grow up."

Matt came back with his own glass and sat in front of the TV again.

"Just don't fall asleep again on me or I'll duct tape your mouth this time." the younger jock threatened half heartily.

"Whatever." He replied, taking a long swallow of orange juice.

"This is going to be a little awkward but I told Jeremy I would talk about it with you." Matt said after a pause.

"Talk about what with me?"

"He told me about how you need to…have your let your 'other self' come out for your first time. Why? Who said?"

He groaned, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "He told you?"

"He's nervous, Ty. I would be too."

"Did he tell you about Halloween too?"

Frown. "What about Halloween?"

F_uck. _"I'll…let you handle that one with my uncle. As for what he told you, my uncle told me sometimes it happened" he lied. "I…feel it every time I'm with him alone. Last night, I nearly did fuck him."

Matt eyes grew wide with concern. "You nearly lost control?"

_Not of the wolf, exactly. _"I didn't feel like I would have. I was…just so fucking turned on, Matt. All I could think about was being inside Jeremy."

"Okay…

"Everything would have gone fine, then the little tease presented that _sweet, little ass_ to me like an early Christmas present. Jesus, his smell! I was so close, Matt. Just one push away." He let in a slow intake of breath, running the tip of his tongue over his front teeth, "I would have done anything he wanted."

Matt held up a hand. "Yeah, yeah, okay I got it. Your point?"

"But If I had, I felt my wolf side wouldn't have made it out. Plus it wasn't full moon and the next one just passed on Tuesday, so no worry on that. I made Jeremy promise he wouldn't come to help me. It's getting easier, anyway."

"Mason did too. I wouldn't have listened if I didn't have a sister."

He smirked briefly. "Don't get me wrong, I'm nervous as fuck too." _Being it has to be a new moon. _

His best friend started at him for a long moment. "Like I told Jeremy, even with how it sounds, it seems now more than ever, you know what you're doing and everything will turn out fine. I mean you two have lasted this long without full on sex? Damn! Your uncle and me are probably the best bunnies in town."

"Good to know." He mumbled dryly.

"Guess now you two should think about it as a…rough, kinky, romantic getaway."

Snort. "If Jeremy had been in my shoes, the kid would have jumped me deep long ago."

Matt shot him an annoyed look.

"Oh please, dude, like you didn't want to when you were together." He protested.

"It's you I don't want to imagine naked."

He punched him on the shoulder.

"Ow! There is something called humor!"

"Next time I'll be harder."

"Mattie, I'll be back later. I'm going to Jeremy's for dinner." Vicky called as she walked into the living room.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "He invited you to dinner?"

Vicky caught his tone and smiled knowingly. "Don't get your underwear in a knot, he invited me for dinner with another girl and her mom."

_Fuck. _"What girl?" He turned a glare on Matt who he guessed must have told Vicky about Jeremy and him.

Matt shrugged, looking a little guilty. "Damn, you reminded me I'm supposed to be paying my debt off from bowling. Tell them to give me a rain check, please? I'll talk to Jeremy about doing it on Saturday."

He raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "Bowling debt?"

"Jeremy and Matt lost at a bowling game we did yesterday. They now have to cook for us like three times. But I'll give him your rain check." Vicky cut in.

"What girl?" he asked again as she opened the front door.

"Anna, I think her name was. So I'll see you guys later. Bye!"

"Drive carefully! There might be ice on the road!" Matt called.

"Kay!"

The blonde turned his attention on him and blinked innocently at him.

"You told her about me and Jeremy?" he mumbled, irritated and a little hurt.

His friend's eyes softened, looking guilty again. "It's the only thing I told her. You know she wouldn't tell anyone."

He snorted. "Fine."

He felt guilty too; he couldn't tell his best friend about the existence of vampires. The guy had already a hard time managing his way through football, school, and a job to maintain himself and a younger sibling. Then there was Mason. Nuf said.

* * *

><p>Jeremy was helping serving Anna and her mother, Pearl, at the kitchen table. Pearl had taken a liking instantly when she saw him. Anna's mother was a pretty lady, an older version of Anna with black hair and oval shaped eyes – a bit more slanted than Anna's - , smiling with a perfect row of shiny white teeth. Pearl greeted him and Jenna with a hug, eyes on him curiously as he helped serve and talked. It was a little nerve wrecking. He hoped Pearl wasn't imagining her daughter in a wedding dress. He had his suspicions as he saw Anna had worn a flowy, white skirt with a Barbie pink shirt. At the lack of Anna's enthusiasm, he guessed it hadn't been her idea.<p>

Then the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." He said and ran quickly to the front door to be greeted by Vicky. He brought her into the kitchen. He could tell she was a little nervous.

"Hi." Vicky greeted and shook hands with the guests. Vicky, Anna, and he ended up eating dinner in the living room while they watched TV and talked. It wasn't long until Vicky had relaxed, probably in relief that Anna wasn't a stuck up bitch.

"I like what you did to your face, Jeremy. The look suits you." Anna commented, with a shy smile.

"I saw that too! Why the change?" Vicky asked, with a secret wink.

He smirked. "It was actually Katherine's idea."

"Speaking of which, where is she?" the brunette asked curiously.

"Boyfriend's house."

Anna sighed. "Wish I had one. But when you look like a model, I'm sure you don't even have to lift a finger for guys to come after you like a swarm of bees."

"I want one too. I don't care if he wasn't cute as long as he loves me and has a brain." Vicky added.

"The guys in drama class aren't bad. Have you seen them?" Anna asked, smiling.

"No; can they even act?"

He heard his phone beep and he pulled it out. Tyler.

_Thanks for inviting me to dinner. _

He couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. **Hey, you told me you were going to be busy with tutoring this morning. Plus it's just dinner. **

_I dreamt about you at Matt's house. I got a little loud so he had to wake me… _

"Who you texting?" Vicky asked him.

"Tyler." He replied.

Anna glanced at Vicky.

"Vicky knows, Anna, don't worry about it."

The raven haired girl's mouth dropped open as she stared back and forth between Vicky and him.

"Well thank you for not being homophobic." Anna finally told the other girl after a moment and laughed.

"It's no fun being judged so why do it to other people?"

Anna quirked her lip up in sympathy. Seemed Anna knew about Vicky's past drug problem. It made him wonder why Anna was considered an outcast. Maybe it was just personal choice. "Totally."

**What were we doing? **

_I was sliding my cock into your sweet ass, ready to fuck you and make you scream my name__._

He involuntarily licked his lips, dick twitching in his jeans. **Did you?**

_Didn't get to it. Thank the idiot over here for that. _

The girls made kissing noises. He glanced up and realized they were teasing him. He smirked, semi cocky. "Be jealous, ladies."

**Tease.**

_With last night, I could say it takes one to know one. But we shouldn't have gotten carried away like that. _

**You loved it. Christmas is still far away. **

_5 weeks. _

**Still too far.**

_It's hard for me too. Very hard._

**Something's telling me you've change the subject lol I'll talk to you later.**

_I'll see you tonight. You're not getting rid of me that easily._

* * *

><p>Katherine sat by Stefan's side on the couch, talking about their glorious enemies in town. It was a little awkward. She had kept it cool, wanting for Stefan to make the first move in their getting back together. She had greeted Stefan with a simple smile, almost like business. Stefan had looked surprised but didn't make a move either. They still haven't and they could feel the tension in the air.<p>

"You're certain Klaus has friends with him?"

"No one works alone. The media said that Nancy was strangled to death but we both know that's, pardoning my French, utter bullshit. But just to confirm, I came up with a plan. But I need your help."

"You don't need my blood or anything, right?"

She slapped the back of his head for asking such a stupid question.

"Fine, I'll help. So what? You don't trust the police?"

"No. I have a feeling they're hiding information from the public. I found out about the town's history but that's for another time. We're going to be taking a drive down to the police department after closing time."

After the guests were gone, Jeremy thanked his aunt for the dinner idea before helping to clean the dishes and excusing himself to his room to finish the rest of his homework. He was content with how the events of the day turned out, despite his sore everywhere. He was glad Vicky and Anna had become friends.

His cellphone beeped. Text message from Katherine.

**Cover for me please with Tyler on top. I won't be home until after eleven…maybe twelve. I'll owe you.**

He rolled his eyes at the Tyler part. _Be safe. _

**We're not doing that, you pervert. **

_You'd do this for me too if I ever needed it, right?_

**Yeah. So will you do it?**

_I'll do my best. All depends on Jenna's sleep pattern tonight. _

**I'll risk it. Thanks, kid. **

After homework, he downloaded some music onto his Iphone and continued working on an assignment for art class. Slipknot was blasting in his ears as he drew. Then Kyle called.

_Oh boy_.

"Dude." was all Kyle said quietly but with joy.

"Guess this means you had a fun weekend." Definatly not a question.

"_Fun_ is a fucking understatement."

He rolled his eyes, continuing to sketch. "You called me to give me the details about your 'date'?"

"A little. I didn't drink and I used protection. You're welcome. And you'll never guess the best news."

"I don't think I want to."

Kyle ignored the comment. "I. toped."

He paused as his mouth dropped open. "Bullshit, you did not!"

"I did! It felt great—no, fuck it—pun intended-there are no words for it! I mean you've topped before, haven't you?"

_Yeah, sure... _"Duh."

"Doesn't it feel awesome to be in control?"

"Yeah." Then he quickly changed the subject. "So did he ask you to be his boyfriend yet?"

Silence. _Oh boy. _"Kyle...you like this guy don't you? I hope he's asking you to be his boyfriend on the next date or at least soon because it's not right for it to be just a get together. I don't want him hurting you and it's not right."

Silence.

"You still there?"

"Mmhm." Kyle said, sullen sounding now.

He felt a pang of mixed emotions, mostly fury towards this Brent guy, who knew Kyle was a virgin that could easily be manipulated. "I'm sorry for bringing it up now, but I just don't want to see you get hurt. Do you have a picture of him?"

Pause. "Only one is decent."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"That's just wrong."

"Sorry."

"The main point trying to be pointed out here is that Brent needs to ask you to be his boyfriend or something because I don't like that he's calling you to get together when he wants to fuck round."

"He probably will, okay? Lay off a little!"

He said nothing, sighing through his nose and laying back in his desk chair.

"So what then? You doing peachy with your rich man?"

"You make it sound like he's forty."

To his surprise, Kyle chuckled, making him relax slightly. Before his best friend could continue, he blurted out, "So remember the day I was at the airport, waiting to come here?"

"Uh…yeah, I guess. Why"

He stood up from the bed and walked over to his desk, sitting down to turn on the computer. "What did you say about the town's history? Something about werewolves and…stuff."

"Yeah, I looked up the town on Google and it's got some weird stuff about how the town is supposed to have had kinds of supernatural beings living there once. I'm surprised you remember me even mentioning it."

He signed online and went into Google. "Was it random sites?"

"You doing a paper on it or something? Why so interested?"

"I am."

Pause. "Yeah, I guess they were random. Not that I believe them. I mean come on, vampires? Now every time I hear that word all I think is Twilight – even google gives me that crap more and more. I tell you that Meyer must have been on something if she dreamt that shit. Though on something or not, the bitch is probably sitting on a solid gold hot tub right now, fanning herself with money, and surrounded by hot men half her age."

"Yeah." He replied distractedly as he typed in 'Vampires in Mystic Falls'. He looked over and was about to click on the first link that caught his eye when the doorbell rang.

"Mason!" Jenna called, surprised and happy a moment later.

He froze. _Mason? Mason Lockwood? What is he doing here? Is he here to see Katherine? Did Tyler tell him? Is he here to warn her for me to stay away? For her to leave town?_

"Dude, you don't look so good." Kyle told him.

"Are you sure?" Jenna asked downstairs.

He swallowed, the air around him feeling colder. "I have to go."

"What? Why?" Kyle whined.

"There's company over. I'll text you later." he said and signed off.

"Alright, if you're sure. Goodnight." Jenna then said and the door closed. He let out a breath. Mason was gone.

"Jeremy, letter for you!"

His eyes widened. The uncle left him a letter. He quickly stood up and walked out of the room and down the stairs where Jenna was curiously inspecting two white envelopes in her hands. She looked up, smiling and reached up to give him one. He took it.

"What did the guy say?" he asked slowly, inspecting the cover. His name was neatly spelled out.

"_Mason_ just said that he wanted to leave you and Katherine a note. I wanted you to meet him but apparently you two already did. You never told me." Jenna said a little accusingly.

"We saw each other at the Halloween thing. We just shook hands." He said and looked down at Katherine's letter, reaching out his hand. "I'll give it to her."

Jenna raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

He rolled his eyes. "I won't read it. Promise."

She handed it to him after a brief pause. "Alright I'll be going to bed in a bit. You should too."

"I will. Goodnight, Aunt Jenna."

"Goodnight, Jere."

He went to his room and locked the door, sitting at his desk and turning on the lamp. He placed Katherine's aside, feeling a sense of regret that he promised Jenna he wouldn't open it. He was sure Katherine wouldn't mind…

He licked his lips and tore his eyes away from his cousin's letter and opened his first.

**Mr. Jeremy Gilbert, **

**I would have preferred to give you this personally but I have a feeling you're not ready to meet me officially. I do sincerely apologize for the Halloween incident. I don't know everything my nephew has told you but I did have a good reason for what I did even though I know it could have happened a lot differently. I take the entire blame so another apology for your traumatization. I am no saint but I'm not a bad guy either. And I would really like to get to know my only nephew's mate better. **

**Until next time,**

**Mason Lockwood**

Mason provided his cell number. He ran thumb over his bottom lip, re-reading the letter one more time. Then he gazed over at Katherine's letter. He herd the phone ringing downstairs. Jenna picked up on the second ring. He couldn't really make out what she was saying. Moments later, footsteps climbed the stairs.

"Your cousin called and told she'll be home late. I can't find the real energy to argue with her. But I swear if that girl gets pregnant, I'm…" Jenna trails off, sighing. "Well, goodnight, kid. Don't stay up late; school night."

"Goodnight, Aunt Jenna."

Pause. "That's it?"

He snorted with a small smile before he got up and opened the door to kiss her on the cheek.

"That's better. Goodnight."

"Night."

He closed the door and walked back to the desk and turning on the lamp as the room grew dimmer. With slightly trembling fingers and opened the second letter.

**Miss Katherine Peirce,**

**I've had my suspicions about you since the first time we've met. I'm not certain what you really are but the million dollar question is: can you be trusted? I don't know what you think about me but, like I told young Jeremy too, I'm not a saint but I'm not a bad guy. I love my family too and I am willing to die if necessary to keep them safe. I'm sure we have that in common. Tyler's told me how you've helped him with Jeremy and I thank you too for that. I can imagine it's still tough on him. **

**As for the real reason for this letter, I can't write it on here. I'm pretty sure young Jeremy we'll be reading this too. So I ask you for a moment of your time at my house, or any place you choose for that matter, to talk with me face to face. Come alone or with Jeremy, I don't mind. A phone call would be fine too, I guess though you can imagine which method I would prefer.**

**Mason Lockwood. **

The older werewolf provided his number again. His heart was still beating quickly in his chest. Mason wanted to talk to Katherine but he didn't care if he came along which meant that he couldn't be planning to harm her. Unless he did it on purpose, imagining Katherine would want to come alone?

_No, stop it. Stop thinking like that. _If Mason was honest about himself not being a bad guy, then Katherine and he should have nothing to worry about. All was left was: what did Mason want to talk to Katherine about? The murder? Did Mason know something about that? He bit his lip and opened up the internet, grateful Kyle had left. He closed out of Skype and checked the calendar; the full moon was in two days. Mason couldn't have accidently killed her. Or Tyler, which was a challenge to even think about.

He called Katherine. No answer.

* * *

><p>Stefan jerked his gaze over to Katherine's purse where her phone was ringing. He sighed heavily, looking back down at a passed out Katherine on the passenger seat, wiping off the remains of her bloody nose. He glanced at the time on his cable box. 8:55. <em>Ten minutes now. Damn it. <em>Then on cue, Katherine woke up with a loud gasp. He immediately grabbed onto her hand.

"Hey, it's okay. You're okay."

She panted, looking at him before glancing around the room as if remembering where she was. The brunette then placed her hand on her forehead, closing her eyes and nodding. "Mission accomplished."

He swallowed, placing a hand on her back. "Vampire?"

Her eyes opened and looked at him, a bitter smile on her lips. "Yeah."

* * *

><p>Jeremy absent mindedly traced patterns on the back of Tyler's hand as the werewolf slept behind him. It was just over past two am and he couldn't sleep after Katherine had arrived around midnight like she told him. His mind had remembered the day at the airport after his mom had dropped him off. Kyle had said something about Mystic Falls. Something about werewolves and…<p>

He closed his eyes tightly, heart quickening, not realizing he was also digging his nails into Tyler's hand until the older boy stirred.

"Ow. What are you doing?" voice thick with sleep.

"Sorry. Bad dream." He mumbled.

Tyler made a noise in his throat before snuggling closer. _This guy is like a furnace!_

Suddenly he felt Tyler's hand fumbling with his cock.

"You can't be serious; we just did it this morning."

"And whose fault is that? You put the ultimate stunt with that tease of yours and now you have to pay for it. "

Tyler threw the sheets to the side, revealing his cock. "Don't move and don't make a sound," guy ordered. Tyler then rose from his position and placed himself between his legs.

"I don't think I can handle a bj now," he whined.

"I'll be quick; I can finish you off in no time."

"That is impossible," he grumbled as Tyler began jerking him off.

"I don't think so," the werewolf stated before he suddenly pushed his tongue out. Tyler held the tip of his cock while letting his hand slide up and down.

His eyes got round at the sight and he fisted the sheets.

"Yeah, I knew that would get you going." Tyler smirked and licked the tip, making him buck.

Internally, he cursed him for knowing him so well and damn he was close so fast. He bit his lip to keep himself from moaning and apparently Tyler took the sign. The werewolf stopped jerking him off and took his cock in. A second later he felt himself exploding and the older male's tongue massaging the tip, swallowing every last drop. His head fell back, his chest was heavy and the drums in his ears so loud he didn't notice what Tyler was doing until he felt his legs rise. He looked up and saw the guy standing between his legs, a hand on his left ankle and the other one apparently on his cock. Suddenly he felt something press against his hole. His eyes turned round and his breath grew faster again.

"You want that?" Tyler asked, with a grin on his face.

He nodded.

"You want me inside you?"

He nodded faster.

"You want me to fuck the hell out of you?"

He nodded furiously. His mind raced as he felt the tip press against his opening.

Then it was gone. "Nope," the jock said with a grin. The guy threw his legs to the side and was suddenly spooning again from behind.

"Consider this your punishment." The boy whispered into his ear. "And there will be lots more to come."

_Mother fucker…_"You're gonna pay for that, I swear."

"Yeah, right."

* * *

><p>Monday<p>

"Miss Donovan, what did you know about Nancy? Did you know about any enemies she had?" the investigator, Mrs. Ellen, asked.

Vicky sighed. "No, I never talked to her. Wasn't the type of girl I thought wouldn't be fun for me to even try hang out with."

"Why?"

"She was popular with the guys and was invited to parties." She paused and ghosted her hand over herself. "Even if my brother is a football player, we are nothing alike when it comes to people."

* * *

><p>"Tell me, Mr. Donovan, how well did you know Miss Holder?" Mrs. Ellen asked Matt with a too polite smile. The principal, Mrs. Taylor, sat silently at his desk, twirling a pen in her hand and watching him.<p>

Matt shook his head. "Just what I've heard from other people."

"Some people said that you have talked her before."

"Once, during freshman year."

"What did you guys talk about?" the investigator continued, writing down in her notebook.

"She came up to me after a football game. She congratulated me and the conversation rather quickly let her to hint at me that she was interested. I wasn't, so I refused her invitation to a group celebration she was going to with her friends."

"And did she take it?"

"I guess so, ma'am. Not a word to each other since."

More writing. "What have you heard about Nancy from your peers?"

"She was a smart, decent person to get along with. Though there were rumors saying that she was also a little boy crazy."

* * *

><p>"Mr. Dorlan, tell me about Nancy please."<p>

Steven looked over at his father who nodded curtly.

_Nancy had let out a breathy laugh as he had thrust into her deeply, the bitch liked to be taking hard, all of his bitches did. And all of them wanted it; they begged for it, Nancy had even challenged him on fucking her harder._

He turned and stared the woman straight in the eye. "I never hung out with her. Saw her at some parties we made but we were never got close in any way."

"How would you describe Nancy?"

"Defiantly not a virgin."

The investigator looked up from her notebook.

He could practically feel his father tense up further next to him. He threw his hands up. "Like I said, I've seen her at parties. Plus people like to talk. Boring town like this, people are always looking for something to make their day interesting."

The investigator said nothing as she glanced at her father briefly simply before her eyes lowered back on her notes. "Does your lawyer have anything to say?"

"No, I don't. Anything else?" His father answered in a clipped voice.

"No. Thank you for your time, gentlemen."

Steven got up and briefly glanced at the principal. "Leave."

Mrs. Taylor did without protest. The investigator's mouth dropped open in disbelief at both of them. "What…"

He went right up to her and looked at her in the eye. "You will not find a suspect at this school. Everything, anyone you'll interview was dull, stupid, and useless."

"Steven…" his father began, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Shut up." He snapped, shaking his father off, not taking his eyes off the investigator until she relaxed and nodded with a dazed expression on her face. He let her go and walked out of the office, ordering the principal to head back inside. Luckily no one was around to question his authority.

He walked away, ignoring his father.

* * *

><p>Jeremy headed down the hallway to the cafeteria to get his lunch. There were two things he's been trying to ignore since Monday, the hundreds of winter formal posters and the stares he got from several girls now.<p>

"Hey! Remember me? Of course you do!" a blonde said a little too annoyingly cheerful.

He smiled politely. "Yeah…hi. What's up?" He was pretty sure her name was Caroline.

"Wanna have lunch with me? My friends are still downed thanks to Nancy and it's just ruining my vibe for Thursday night's game."

"Well, she did die." He explained, raising an eyebrow.

"I know but…" she paused and waved it off. "Forget I brought it up. Come on!"

"Whoa!" He said, surprised as she pulled his hand and headed down another hallway to an open, empty classroom.

"Caroline, I sort of need my lunch…"

The girl sat down and opened her large, pink bag, looking inside. "Ah! Well I seemed to have more than I'll be eating today."

The girl pulled out two sandwiches, waving them in her hands.

He sighed, glancing over his shoulder. Anna and Vicky were going to freak when they hear about this. But it would be rude to just leave her hanging when she seemed alone. _Guess one time wouldn't hurt. _

He sat down and placed his bag on another seat, thanking her and he took the plastic wrapped sandwich from her. He unwrapped it and took a large bite, watching her pull out two small bags of baby carrots and two diet cokes. No coincidence there but he said nothing.

"So how are you and Tyler doing?" she asked, nibbling on her sandwich.

He stopped chewing.

The blonde grimaced. "I'm sorry. Bad conversation starter."

"Who told you?" he demanded, angrily, surprising both of them.

Caroline faltered for a moment, blushing. "No one. I just suspected. I mean it's a little weird for Mr. Womanizer to be riding to school with an openly gay male. But then Tyler could be just experimenting, but I doubt it."

He looked away, uncomfortable.

"Jeremy, I'm not going to tell anyone. I swear on anything you want me to."

"What's all this about? Why did you bring me here?"

Pause. "Honestly, I guess some part of me admires that you're not afraid who you really are. I can't do that."

"Caroline, if there is at least one _good_ person who likes you for who you, then no one else matters." He must have gotten her name right since there were no complaints.

The girl pursed her lips. "So what's your secret then? How did you get Matt and Tyler to fall over you?"

"It just happened."

She scoffed. "Okay, fine don't tell me but I want you to know that what is said between us, stays between us." She holds up her pinky. _Is she serious? _

He started at her for a long moment before he hooked his pinky with hers. Something didn't smell quite right.

"So…are you going to winter formal with him?" Caroline then asked carefully, biting onto a carrot.

"Not going."

"He's not ready to go out in public." Not a question.

He's not trusting to talk about the real reason. "I guess."

"Does that bother you? Are you going with Matt then? Tyler's never been jealous about anyone before I mean they chase him not the other way around."

Now it was getting annoying. Caroline must have seen something on his face because she rose her hands up in a mock giving up motion before they ended up eating the rest of their meal in silence.

* * *

><p>Tuesday<p>

Jeremy double took at the sight of Tyler leaning against the wall outside the principal's office. And even with that, the guy still managed to look so utterly fuckable. His dick stirred. _Damn hormones. _

"How'd it go?" the older boy asked, stepping closer to him. He was surprised, mostly because Tyler would take the risk of getting caught with him.

"I'm sure you know but it went okay. I was freaking out since we heard the news about it. But this woman actually seems…bored with what she doing. When do you go?"

"Tomorrow or Thursday at most. My father isn't happy about it but it's not like I have something to hide. But everyone who's been interviewed had said something similar. Maybe it's just something psychological they told her to do in hope that the students reveal more."

"Maybe. I have to get to class but I'll see you tonight?"

Tyler looked grim. "Can't; my mom hasn't been feeling well and I want to be there. But we're all hoping, especially her, that she's going again for Friday."

"Why Friday?"

Tyler couldn't look any more miserable as he took out a semi bent white envelope out of his pack pocket. The envelope had gold writing on the front-'To Ms. Summers and Family'.

It clicked almost instantly. He looked up at the werewolf with nervous eyes.

The older boy nodded silently. "W_e're," _putting quotations in the air, "Inviting you three to spend Thanksgiving dinner with us."

* * *

><p>Wednesday<p>

Katherine tried to relax. She'd been on edge all week and it was starting to show. Her questioning by the police was yesterday. Went by smooth. Then there was the pimple the size of a walnut on her forehead that appeared yesterday morning. That was a panic attack. But she remembered she couldn't let that take her mind out of the real problem. The powerful presence had returned around Sunday night when Jeremy woke the house up with another round of bad dreams. By the time she had gone to check up on her cousin, it was gone. Tuesday afternoon she had taken the time to make a secure shield around the property. If it was broken by another more powerful and experienced witch, she'd feel. She had been continued to keep communication with Stefan. Mostly through text and calls ever since Sunday's literally faint provoking but successful spell. Though it couldn't stop from giving her a confidence boost. Guys have noticed especially, which meant a couple of hearts had to be broken again.

Then she had called Mason on Monday during lunch to see him as soon as possible at his house, wanting to get it over with and see what help he to offer. She didn't dare bring Jeremy knowing exactly what the conversation would be about. Jeremy admitted he had read the note before she did and took a while to agree to stay out of it. Mason had called her an hour later and told her to meet him at six.

* * *

><p>"Please sit down, Miss Peirce." Mason had said and pulled out her chair at the dinner table. Tyler surprised her with his presence but of course didn't protest as the younger werewolf male sat across from her, watching in silence and looking apologetic for her situation.<p>

She took her seat and stared back and forth between the two wolves, the tension obvious. They both held a pen in the hand and open notebook in front of them.

"First off, thank you for coming. I honestly wasn't expecting for you to decide so quickly."

"You said you'd do anything to protect your family too. What are your theories about me?"

Mason looked over at Tyler. She followed the older wolf's gaze.

"Witch." Tyler mumbled shrugging, awkward.

"I can be trusted. You two can confide in me for anything." And she had meant it. Hopefully both saw that too, of course she wouldn't be something of a servant to anyone. She was a sorceress, not some fucking slave they can use whenever they needed something.

The meeting ended pretty quickly after all information had been shared. Mason told her that they'd be available to whatever resources she may come to need or if anything came up. She thanked them and shook their hands.

"Does Jeremy know about…them?" Tyler asked, concerned.

"Thankfully, no. And I don't plan on it anytime soon." She replied and glanced at Mason. "He'll come around to you too, Mr. Lockwood."

"Please, call me Mason."

The bell rang for lunch. She packed her things and turned in the test, heading for the auditorium.

"According to a report given to my brother, Nancy is suspected of being murdered by a vampire. Two wound holes in her neck were found." Mason said.

She nodded. "I know."

Mason frowned.

She hesitated briefly. "My boyfriend was compelled a couple of a days ago by one of them. He or she made him try to take my spell book away. I ended up knocking him out and taking him home. He knows what I am too now and Sunday I conducted a spell with his help and broke into the files at the police department."

Tyler demanded, "Does he know about us?"

"I did tell him and I'm sorry, but keeping the truth from him wouldn't help in my eyes. He won't be telling anybody anything. We've been in communication too but I don't trust him one hundred percent yet. Stefan's said he's been released of his hold but…you never know. But he was able to give me a pretty good description of the vampire who compelled him."

Both guys quickly got ready to write. "Go ahead, Miss Piece."

"Katherine is fine."

She turned the corner and there was Matt already disappearing through one of the double doors. She smiled slightly.

"Thanks for coming." She told him when she entered the room.

"No problem. What did you need to talk to me about?" Matt asked when he sat down on one of the chairs. She sat down next to him.

Mason finished writing and stared at the description for a long time.

"What? Have you seen the guy?" Tyler demands.

"No. But I think I know someone who has."

* * *

><p>"Mason told me you saw a blonde, weird acting man at the bar one day during your shift at the bar." She began.<p>

Matt's frowned, looking a little irritated. "Another interrogation? How nice. Why were you with Mason?"

"He came by last night for a bit to say hello."

"Okay…but why would he tell you that?"

"Please, Matt, just tell me what remember about the guy. It's important."

Matt blew out a heavy breath. "Well he was watching me the entire time as I worked. Stayed a pretty good time too. There was another guy with him but they literally did not say a single word to each other. I thought it was just a coincidence they came in together but when they left, they left together. The blonde seemed well off. Told me to keep the change from a Benjamin."

She pulled out a notebook and pen. "How did the friend look like?"

"Short brown hair, brown eyes, looks maybe like he's in his mid to late-twenties. Maybe Hispanic and no facial hair like his friend had."

"Did either of them say anything to you besides their drink orders?"

"Do you know these guys?"

"I'm the one asking the questions!"

Matt huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, lips quirked in irritation that doesn't seem to be directed exactly at her. "Mason told me to take a break from work on Monday. He told me that he wanted me to focus on my academics until at least the year is over and that meanwhile he'd pay for all my bills. I told him he was fucking nuts. Honestly I think he's just a little afraid because of what happened with Nancy. When you live in a small town like this, murder is a big deal for everyone. I'm surprised they haven't placed a curfew yet."

She said nothing.

"Anyway, I tried to be nice and bring them into conversation. So I asked them if they had moved into town and the blonde said no they were visiting a friend. When I asked who, he just smiled. Brown hair just looked at anywhere but at me the whole time I talked."

"Anything else?"

"I asked them where they were from. The blonde told me they were from New Jersey. Accent sounded very British though. That's all I asked them. They didn't ask about me or anything."

"And then they left with Stefan?"

"Yes."

"Did you talk to him about it?"

The pause was a second too long. "I thought it was none of my business. Maybe they were family of Stefan's, I don't know. Maybe they were snobby, rich people who thought small town people didn't know about anything outside of it…well most don't but they're not going to relieve their benefit of the doubt."

She snorted and took out her granola bar, taking a bite. _They don't need to, honey. Even I know it. _"And you've never saw them again? In or out of work?"

"No, ma'am."

She shot him a look. "Okay. Thanks."

"Wasn't hungry and the fried chicken gave me the stomach flu last time I ate it."

"Was practice canceled or is it still in the gym?"

"Gym. Not that I wouldn't prefer for it to be canceled. Though at least we're not as tired at the end."

Pause.

"So are you ever going to tell me why with the purpose of our little _Law and Order _episode?"

"Nope."

"What is it with you guys this week?"

She just smiled.

The blonde rolled his eyes. "So Tyler told me you guys are invited over for dinner tomorrow at his place too."

"Yeah he told us on Monday. Jeremy is a pretty nervous."

"I know but he shouldn't be. It wouldn't exactly be a good time for Tyler to announce he had stepped out of the closet. Personally, I think he should tell his mom first. She'd understand more."

* * *

><p>Steven had barely talked to anyone. He'd rejected all invitations and only answered what he was asked and with little or no emotion, using the excuse of problems at home. He's been blacking out to find his mouth and shirt covered in blood. His dad's blood. The first time he thought he had killed the old man who had been lying down on the floor, breathing abnormally. The game was tonight, a large part of him didn't want to bother with it but he didn't want start raising suspicions with his mood. Fuck, he was so hungry…<p>

* * *

><p>Jeremy was startled awake Thursday morning by Aunt Jenna's usual wake up call. "Guys!" Jenna called from downstairs. "Breakfast!"<p>

He groaned, wondering why she did it so early when then school was out until Monday. He squinted in to the dim light and his eyes widened. Almost eleven. _Well shit._

Katherine hadn't even opened her door when he reached downstairs. He paused when he saw Jenna eating on the couch, watching TV. He noticed there were three extra bowls sitting on the desk in front of her.

"Morning." He greeted.

Jenna patted the seat next to her without a word.

_Okay…_He went over and sat down, feeling a little uneasy. Then he saw his aunt was smiling like she won the lottery.

"I got the job!" Jenna yelled with joy.

He smiled, mostly in relief as reaching over and pulled her into a hug. She quickly returned it with one, careful not to spill her oatmeal.

"I knew you would, Jenna. So they called you this morning? When do you start?" he asked, picking up his bowl.

"They called me on my cellphone this morning at a little after nine and they told me I could start when I felt ready. So I start Monday!"

He glanced behind them to see if there was any sign of Katherine.

"Where is that girl?" Jenna asked, curiously.

"Want me to get her…?"

"No, I'll go. Eat."

He nodded and watched his aunt go, blowing on his spoonful of oatmeal before bringing it to his mouth.

Jenna reached the door and knocked.

"Katherine, did you hear me calling?"

Nothing. Then faintly the sound of talking he couldn't make out.

"What?" Jenna asked.

Silence then the sound of the door opening. She couldn't make out everything but it sounded like Katherine woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

"Alright, did you take something for the pain? Do you want breakfast?"

Mumble.

"Okay, I'll be downstairs."

Mumble.

He frowned, his stomach suddenly hurting.

Jenna came downstairs again. He stared curiously up at Jenna through mouthfuls of oatmeal.

"It's _the time_." Jenna said. He nodded, feeling a pang of sympathy for his cousin.

"Hey, I heard what you said to your mom about your 'girlfriend Anna'." She said, smirking.

He shrugged. "I can't tell her about Tyler. She doesn't know I like boys."

His aunt thought about this. "Well I may not have kids yet but you two have been together for so long maybe she's the one who doesn't want to bring it up first."

His eyes widened, his heart quickening. "You think she knows?"

"Duh, you're her son. She probably doesn't know how to bring it up. Honestly, I don't think you even convinced her about Anna."

"She seemed to. She sounded happy."

"Either way, one of you is going to have to start that conversation sooner or later."

"Rather it be later. She's already has enough to think about."

"Good point…" Jenna trailed off, sounding like she was hesitating to say more. He started to feel a little nauseous. He placed the bowl down. Jenna glanced at him.

"Hun I know you want to help your mom."

He just stared at her.

She continued, "I wanna help your mom too and since you have school, I was thinking I could send her some money over from the both of us."

"But it wouldn't feel the same. I know I wouldn't be working for it."

She placed her bowl down and placed her hands on his shoulder, looking directly into his eyes. "You are working hard on your school, Jeremy. I know you are. And one day you're going to get the job you've always wanted. But right now you have to focus on your studies. You're wonderful, intelligent young man and that is all a mom every wants in return."

He placed a hand on his stomach, the nausea worsening. He nodded, wanting to get away before his aunt noticed anything. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the oatmeal."

He made his way up the stairs before Jenna could ask questions. He went straight to the bathroom, gaging minutes later. It was painful as he remembered but felt so much better when he finished. He brushed his teeth and stepped back into his room to grab his phone to find a missed call from Matt and a text from Tyler. _Jesus. _

_I'll be home until around five thirty. So if you need anything, and I do mean anything…_

**Horn dog. How's your mom doing?**

_A little better, thanks. She's in bed right now. Didn't really eat much this morning though. _

**I'm sorry. I hope tomorrow won't be canceled. **

_You mean that? _

**Kind of. But at least your mom will be socializing. I'll get her mood up. **

_I hope so. Only one friend of hers didn't decline the invitation. _

He felt a pang of real sympathy for Mrs. Lockwood at that. In reality, she must feel lonely sometimes. **What about family from both sides? **

_It's complicated. _

Sad. **I have to go but we'll be there tomorrow for sure. Can't wait to meet them. **

_Okay. By the way, I've told them about you. You're known as my friend. Don't read too much into it though, you'll be fine. And have you been thinking about the rave on Saturday?_

**How badly do you want to go?**

_I'm taking your question as a borderline no. _

**I'm not saying no. I'm just surprised you're insisting because I thought you'd be afraid to go to public events with me.**

_I told you already that people can't know yet. But this one is different. Plus, I want to try a new place to grind off against you._

**I don't know how I should feel about that. Makes me wonder if you only want me for my body. **

Minutes passed and no reply. He frowned, heart quickening. _Did he? _Then it came.

**Not true. **

He stared at the message for a good long minute. He didn't know how to reply to that so he moved on and called Matt.

"Hey." The blonde greeted.

"What's up?"

Pause. The jock probably heard something in his voice. "I was hoping to workout with you at school."

"Now?"

"If you want. Believe it or not, it helps me relax so my muscles suddenly don't have to jump in when the game starts in this weather. Did that once and I got a sprain on my lower leg muscle. Hurt like a bitch and had to miss the next game."

"I'm up for it. Let me know when you get here."

"See you in a bit then."

"Bye."

Awhile later, they were using the treadmills. Apparently, all athletes were trusted with three copies of separate keys; one to the back of the school, one to the workout room which also opened the locker room.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale."

"I threw up my breakfast this morning."

"Maybe you shouldn't exercise then. You'll lose more water and end up getting dehydrated. I went through that in middle school once. Got so weak, couldn't stand for more than minute."

He nodded and turned off the treadmill, feeling a little dizzy and sitting down on the bench to finish the rest of his bottle.

"Dude, if you got the stomach flu, tomorrow is going to be your worst nightmare. You'll heave up everything you eat."

"That'll give them a good impression for sure." He mumbled dryly. "I hate winter season."

"Maybe it was just something you ate?"

"Jenna took us to some place on the other side of town yesterday after school."

"There you go. Just drink lots of fluids, nothing you can do about it now."

"Fuck, now what I am going to say tomorrow? Tyler's parents are gonna think I'm contagious!"

"They won't. I'll tell Tyler to explain it to them and have salted crackers available for you. I remember it was the only food I was able to eat."

He snorted. "I guess at least I won't feel guilty stuffing my face."

* * *

><p>Katherine lay on her bed, glaring <em>through <em>her spell book with a heated pad on her stomach. She narrowed her eyes at her ringing phone, eyeing it like if the device was rather a poisonous snake. She was so not in the mood. She answered it anyway.

"What?" she growled at Stefan.

"Whoa. Bad time?"

"Very. What do you want?"

Pause. "Um…another time I would have told you it could wait but this actually might make a difference."

She sighed. "Just get to the point."

"I found Klaus' number on my cell."

Oh that got her up. "What?"

"Yeah."

"So the asshole gave you his phone number." She said, mostly to herself.

"Technically he called me while I was his little minion but we can hope he hasn't changed it."

_Indeed. _She paused to wait as another cramp came by. "Stefan, thank you for telling me this but don't call him or anything. Write it down in a safe place just in case."

"Way ahead of you."

"Good. I don't know what to do with it exactly. If we call, he might not even answer if it's a number he doesn't recognize…but then we can't be sure if he still has your number. Anyway just leave it for now. I've been researching more in my book and I found a spell that is sort of tracks anybody I want to. See where they are and what they're doing."

"Sorry for being negative about it, but that sounds a little too good to be true."

"One of the two needed requirements is that I need to have a clear mental picture of his face. With this, I can catch a glimpse of him on any reflective surface; even if it's a puddle of water on the side of the road."

"So my description doesn't help? Maybe if we can get someone to try to draw him out or something."

She cocked her head, running her tongue over her teeth thoughtfully. "That could work."

* * *

><p>Matt finished on the treadmill and went over to the rep machine.<p>

Jeremy whistled, impressed. "250? Wow."

"Thanks." He said slowly and began to count.

"I was thinking…that maybe you knew of someplace that I can volunteer at."

"Volunteer? Why?"

"Just something extra to do with my time. Plus it'll be someone on my resume. I don't have any type of professional work experience so far."

"The hospital always needs some."

"Sounds good like a good place to start."

He paused at thirty and took a break, his mind continuing to nag if he should tell the younger male about what he was feeling lately with Nancy's murder and the after math of Mason's insistence with his job suspension and Katherine's mysterious interrogation. Not to mention the knowledge that Mason told Katherine what he thought was private conversation between them.

"I still remember the time lapse. That day at the grill with those two guys I served." He started, sounding as if in a daze. He sat up, watching Jeremy who was looking intently at him.

"I think…something deeper is going on. Something that Mason and Katherine don't want usto know."

The brunette seemed only slightly surprised as he seemed more relieved. The younger male stood up, pacing. "I've been thinking about that too. Also my best friend back in Spring Hills, told me about this town having a strange history in the past before coming here. I didn't think about it then obviously thinking he was just being him but then…"

Jeremy trailed off, swallowing and looking suddenly fearful.

"What?" he insisted.

Jeremy reached out and griped the back of his neck with one hand, gaze staring back into his. "If werewolves are real…then…"

He closed his eyes, holding a hand up immediately and standing up. "Damn it, Jeremy!"

"Think about it…"

"Not before a fucking game! I mean, that's…to-to think more things are out there…! You think Nancy wasn't killed by a human?" he yelled, pissed more that the kid might be right rather than at the kid himself. Fear gripped him slowly.

"You said it yourself! Mason and Katherine must be hiding something! I'm sure Tyler knows about it right now, having a pretty good relationship with his uncle! A-And those two guys from the bar…"

"Stop!"

"They could be…"

He lunged at Jeremy, pressing the kid against the wall and placing a hand over his mouth. He felt immediately guilty as brown eyes widened. He let him go slowly, backing away and shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I'll take you home."

"You're the first person I would always come to in this situation. In any situation."

"Not Katherine or Tyler?"

"No. They've been keeping secrets. And plus… I know what it feels like to have someone leave on you."

"But you have your mom."

"I do. But in all honesty, sometimes it feels like it's not enough. I've felt so alone back in Florida; even while I was growing up. And I'm afraid of how my mom will look at me when she knows I like boys. How my _grandparents w_ill look at me."

Unshed tears shined in the brunette's eyes and it made him draw it a shaky breath. "I knew you were different the first time I saw you." he snorted, smiling softly. "I fell for you bad. Felt afraid about it at first but then you made it feel so easy. Though I still feel horrible about how I came onto you."

Jeremy waved it off. "Forgot and forgiven."

He then went over and wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders. "Always remember you can always count on me when you need anything."

The younger boy mimicking his move. "Right back at you."

* * *

><p>After a hot shower, Jeremy found his aunt in her room where she was lying on her bed in a baby pink robe. Her face was covered in a green avocado mask, her hair in a high bun and reading a book. He explained to her why he decided not go to the football game. "Stomach flu?" Jenna asked, concerned, motioning for him to come over.<p>

He sighed when she pressed her palm to his forehead. "I don't have a fever, Aunt Jenna. Plus, it's too cold for me outside."

"Katherine isn't going either."

"Has she come out of her room yet?"

"No. I made her a tuna sandwich she wanted while you were gone. How did the workout go?"

"Good."

"You want me to stay home tonight?"

He shrugged. "Up to you. Though wouldn't want you get sick and ended up staying home from work on your second week."

She smiled and pressed her hand against the side of his face briefly. "Thanks for worrying. I'll stay home. I'm pretty beat and I head for work tomorrow at eight. I assume you're not hungry?"

His phone began to beep in his sweat pants. Jenna's gaze followed the direction of the noise.

"Not really. I'm going to go shower." He replied quickly, placing a kiss on her forehead and heading toward the door.

"Thank god."

He glanced back and stuck out his tongue at her.

Inside his room, he took it out. Text message from Tyler.

_You're coming tonight, right?_

No intention of reply. He threw his phone carefully onto the bed and grabbed his new change of clothes before going into the bathroom. By the time he stepped out, it was almost four in the afternoon and had two missed calls from Tyler. He grabbed his sketch book and pencil from his back pack and placed on his headphones. He then climbed into bed and turned to a clean page. Calls kept coming in and eventually he realized Tyler would probably end up showing up at his window again if he didn't answer.

"I'm trying to work here."

"Someone woke up on the wrong side."

He said nothing.

"Bad day?"

"You can say that. And no I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay…but it doesn't involve me, right?"

Silence.

Tyler huffed, "What did I do? I've barely seen you since Tuesday night."

He lowered his voice. "How long did you expect to keep the secret?"

Silence. Then a confused, "What?"

"About the vampires. How long did all three of you expect to keep it hidden from me and Matt?"

Pause. "She told you?"

"Actually, I used something called logic. Apparently, Matt isn't stupid either."

"Jeremy, I'm sorry. How did you expect for us to tell you something like that?"

"Because I thought you trusted me. How did you expect me to react? I already know you guys exist!"

"I do trust you. It was Katherine's idea not to tell you. I didn't want you knowing either and neither did Mason for Matt. What good would it do? Do you feel safe anymore with the knowledge? Does he?"

_No. _Silence.

"Exactly."

"I'm not going." He finally said and hung up. Maybe the fear was blinding his judgment, maybe he was just being irrational—he couldn't tell. He wiped a tear away, cursing at himself for being so pathetic. Tyler didn't come to his window that night.

* * *

><p>Review please? :D<p> 


	48. Second Reckoning

First Time for Everything

Chapter 48

Note: I will be setting up the story in third person starting next chapter :)

SOIMREALLYCOOL.t: lol oh I hear ya! I sometimes wish the site wouldn't shut you out after a few days sometimes! Thank you for reviewing, it would be incredible if we got this to be a motion picture! _Any _Jyler story for that matter! I would die with a smile on my face ;) I had recently read a comment on Tumblr—I think—that we were robbed of the Titanic opportunity of Tyler sketching out Jeremy's tattoo…ugh thank you TVD writers -_-

* * *

><p>"Hello, Caroline." Steven greeted as she got out of her car, coming around to stand on the sidewalk. He knew she was working for Klaus now. The old fart had compelled her to stay away from him<em>. Typical for the lazy bastard to hire such trash to do work for him. <em>He didn't see why the older vampire would be interested in someone like Jeremy or Tyler. Also Lockwood was his to totally screw and no one else's.

She bit her lip, eyes glancing around briefly while her heart was beating so fast Steven wondered whether it would jump out of her chest. "What are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to see you." he replied easily, standing up from the porch bench, adjusting his gloves. He knew his voice sounded off; dark, his grin a little too hungry. She took a step back, her hand diving into the pocket of her jacket as if about to pull out a weapon. He had no fear of metallic objects, but he remembered she carried a bottle of pepper spray. _How amusing_. Neither of them moved. She wouldn't look him in the eye.

"I'm tired, Steve. Not tonight." She said, voice trembling slightly.

"Really?" he asked in fake curiosity. Making sure no one was around; he was suddenly in front of her. She yelped and tried to move back but he held her quickly by the throat. "Cause I don't remember you giving Klaus that bullshit excuse not even an hour ago when you were riding him like the slut you are. You reek of him, everywhere. And I can smell that your pussy got combed real well, not too long ago. Doesn't take an Einstein to figure that out."

She clawed at his hands and she began to try screaming for help. He heard a car coming from down the road and latched his hands on both sides of her face and twisted. Her screams were cut off and her body went limp. He hugged her to his chest, cradling her like a child as he turned his back to the road. The car passed as he moved quickly to the front door, glancing behind him as the car passed by the house without a suspicious change in speed. He took out the keys from her purse and made his way inside.

With the door closed, he drank her dry – no sense in wasting what little she still could offer him - before dumping her body onto the floor. The body landed with a loud thud along with her purse and keys. He closed the door curtain and kicked the keys into the living room and found a stash of whiskey in the kitchen. He then made his way to the first chair in the kitchen with direct view of Caroline's corpse, leaning back in the seat and taking a long swing from the bottle.

* * *

><p>Tyler was on his way to warm up for the game at school when his mother called him.<p>

"Yeah."

He heard her sniffle. "Come home. The game will be canceled."

He slammed his foot on the brake, coming to a harsh stop in the middle of the road with a loud squeal from the tires. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Caroline Forbes was just found dead minutes ago at home by her mother. The police will be calling off the game with the explanation. Come home, please."

He barely heard the car pulling up behind him, honking. He glared at the review mirror and flipped the driver off before moving forward. "I'll be home soon. Love you."

He hung up and called Mason.

"I know." His uncle greeted with.

"So was it?"

"Yes. Two marks just like the other one. Broke her neck too."

"Fuck. I have to call Matt. They're canceling the game."

"Way ahead of you. I explained everything."

"I'll stop by in a bit."

He hung up and drove towards Jeremy's house, stopping in and turning off the car, listening. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. It was fifteen minutes later when the cellphone rang again.

"Yeah."

"The media is having a field day." Katherine.

"No kidding. I don't know what we should do anymore. What if more bodies will continue to appear? Nancy hasn't even been dead a week yet."

"I'm trying to track the boss. Stefan says he still remembers his face good enough to draw a portrait."

He frowned. "Your boyfriend knows how to draw?"

"No. But I know you can."

Pause. "I'm listening. How will you track him down with it?"

"Leave that to me. Will you help me or not?"

"Duh."

"Do you happen to know who he is? Or is it a she?"

"Unless it's a very convincing transvestite it's a man and his name is Klaus."

"And when did you figure out the bosses' name?"

"The guy told Stefan his name and even left his number on his handy."

"What?" He couldn't believe anybody could be so stupid.

"What 'what'?"

He groaned. "What makes you think that this is his name? Isn't it pretty sloppy to just leave your name?"

"Well, if you have to know I think this could be a pseudonym, an outright fake or a kind of credit card of his. But I won't take the risk and track him simply by name and so I need you to draw a picture."

He was far from convinced, but then again he was only the queen here and not the witch. "Ok, I'll do it. Time and place?"

"Meet me Saturday morning at my house at ten."

"Can Matt tag along?"

"Duh."

* * *

><p>Klaus was busy cleaning his finger nails on one of the living room couches after a round of hot sex with Daniel who was suspicious upon seeing Caroline walk out of his home that afternoon. Because he was not up for stupid teenage drama, he hadn't hesitated to lie and told the jock about how Caroline stole some shots from his wine cellar and ended up fucking him on the very couch – rough and hard. He then proceeded to tell him if that was a problem for him, he had no objection to his permanent departure. Daniel did leave, only to come back an hour later and jump him which he accepted with some surprise. The human had puppy love for him. With only a few tweaks needing adjustment for the grand finale, he did need something to occupy his mind – he thought of testing whether Daniel's cock was as good as his ass. Then Nestor came into the room.<p>

"Caroline is dead, sir."

He didn't look up or pause from his task. He hadn't asked Nestor to keep an eye on Caroline. _Oh well. Better things were lost in war. _"And I care…how?"

Pause. "What about Steven, sir? He was the culprit."

"I'll take care of him when the time comes. Go away."

"Yes, sir."

Daniel had stepped into the room, heart pounding. "Steven killed Caroline Forbes?"

"So I've heard." he replied, bored sounding and still not pulling his attention away from his nails. He started to use the smaller half of the scissors.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Continue what I am doing. You have a game to prepare for." He finally glanced up at the jock who stared at him with wide eyes. The human opened his mouth to protest but then he faltered and nodded silently, grabbing his things before heading out.

* * *

><p>Friday<p>

Dinner was at six. And Jeremy hadn't eaten anything but small sips of hot chicken soup and Gatorade. He had slept no more than four hours, finishing Mrs. Lockwood's picture of the most attractive landscape he could find on the internet. But he felt good enough – and according to his mirror, looked good enough - to probably go through the day without ending up on the ground with his ass up like Jim Carry in _Yes Man_. He had helped Jenna who was in charge of dessert and mashed potatoes. Jenna decided to do her special strawberry pudding. Oh the memories.

Katherine wasn't talking to him but he could feel her eyes on him during breakfast. She knew that he knew; fine with him. He needed time to think. Until then, she could keep hold on her guilt. Two hours before six, he had showered and sacrificed his silent treatment for a moment to ask Katherine to trim his stubble. He had tried out his still untouched scented body wash. He went with lavender which, to him, seemed the less girly. He then found a text from Tyler.

_Matt told me about your stomach. The salted crackers will be available for you at dinner. Can't wait to see you. _

**Cool. **Was all he replied.

The Lockwood mansion was as huge as Jeremy remembered since the night on Halloween. Matt and Vicky had gone with them together - he just hoped this time wouldn't end the same as last. Vicky looked very nervous. Katherine went over and they began to talk. Matt seemed mostly solemn but sent him a small smile every once in a while, probably because Mason would be there. Tonight would be interesting.

Mrs. Lockwood answered the door, dressed as elegant as he had expected, in a plain knee high black dress with a white pearl necklace around her neck and black, low heeled shoes. Even with all this, one could notice that something was wrong. Mrs. Lockwood was a little too thin. Her makeup couldn't entirely mask out the dark circles under her eyes. She instantly reminded him of his own mom back home and felt a pang in his chest. It would be the first time they wouldn't be spending Thanksgiving together. His mom had called him earlier that day but it just wasn't the same. He honestly missed her.

"Mrs. Lockwood?" he started once they were inside.

"Please, call me Carol."

He held up the sketch, smiling softly. "My little gift to you. I hope you like it."

Mrs. Lockwood took it with excited surprise and looked over it. "How lovely! Thank you! You drew this?"

Jenna wrapped her arm around him proudly. "My nephew is quite the artist."

"I can see that! Richard, come greet our guests!"

Mr. Lockwood greeted them formally as he came from inside the kitchen. The man wore a white button down shirt with khaki pants. You'd think they both were crazy for wearing such things in almost thirty degree weather if it hadn't been for the heater inside. Tyler's parents both had said nothing when he introduced himself but they both took at him with curiosity, the father with an almost analyzing gaze as if deciding if he was worth setting foot in the house. At least he didn't receive the almost blank stare Vicky did. He felt bad for her. Mr. Lockwood looked at his drawing with an unimpressed, almost bored, expression.

"How nice." was all the man said at the drawing. Not surprised. He remembered Tyler mentioning his father didn't like art in general. His father was just simply not the guy to really talk too much outside of business or politics as it seemed.

Mason Lockwood finally stepped up next. Handsome, and scary, memory-bringing man dressed in a gray sweater and dark jeans. How the guy was Richard Lockwood's brother, he didn't know, they didn't even look alike. Starting with personality; Mason's seemed entirely opposite of his older brother. He surprised himself he wasn't too nervous by the younger Lockwood brother's presence. Maybe he just knew the older werewolf was the least of all hisproblems right now. Tyler then came down looking unsurprisingly delicious in a dark blue and white striped shirt with dark jeans. Oh did it fit him well – a mental picture of Tyler turning around and shaking his ass came to Jeremy's mind, making his cock fill. Tyler's expression changed noticeably when he saw him but kept it cool enough, shaking hands with everyone and giving him a half, "friendly" hug. _Please._ He looked over at Matt who was avoiding looking at Mason. Vicky was looking around as if this was probably her first time seeing the house from the inside—maybe it was, he didn't know. But he could practically feel her awkwardness, wishing Tyler's parents wouldn't treat her so…coldly. Because that's the only word that would fit.

Ignoring his boyfriend's gaze on him, they walked over to the dinner table that looked long enough to hold ten people. He could only stare in amazement as the food was already prepared and ready to be served, the silverware and white china plates set in front of them with brown, silk napkins.

"Jeremy, Tyler told us you weren't feeling well." Mrs. Lockwood told him.

"Unfortunately; this all looks amazing." Better not let the topic get stuck.

"Thank you. Feel free to try anything. Though be careful. My son brought you some salted crackers for you, didn't you honey?"

Tyler smirked at him. "Anything for a friend."

He held the jock's eye. "Thanks, _man_."

"No problem, _buddy_."

Jenna nudged his leg under the table to quit it.

"What would you like to drink sir?"

He glanced up to see the maid. "Water, please. Thank you." he mumbled quietly.

Everyone was finally done being served minutes later. Mrs. Lockwood looked around the table at everyone. Matt sat on his other side with Vicky next to her brother. Vicky stared down at the food with no real anticipation. But the strawberry and coconut cupcakes sitting on a delicate glass three story holder in the middle of the clothed table wouldn't leave her gaze. Mason was glancing at Matt every few seconds. Katherine was staring calmly about, letting her gaze linger once in a while between him and Tyler.

"I would now like to take a minute to say a few words of grace." Mrs. Lockwood said.

He bowed his head respectfully.

"Thank you, dear lord, for giving us the food we have today even though we don't deserve it. And please forgive the ones who throw it away. I also thank you for giving us the opportunity to be united with friends and family tonight." Mrs. Lockwood paused. "Richard? Tyler? Mason."

Mr. Lockwood cleared his throat, "Thank you for this good food, friends, family… and money."

"And for bringing new ones into our lives." Tyler suddenly added in, "Friends who understand when you mess up but in the end, they know you're…really, really sorry. Amen."

No one said anything for a moment, probably confused. Jeremy stared at Tyler who stared back at him calmly as if there had been no hidden meaning trying to be passed.

"Diddo." Mason added. He glanced at Matt out of the corner of his eye to see the blonde shake his head in disbelief.

"Give it up for my brother's words of wisdom, everyone." Mr. Lockwood commented and clapped and everyone laughed, some joining in the humorous applause. Mason rose up his glass of champagne in a teasing good natured motion at everyone before taking a long swallow. Jenna and Matt said something briefly too one another after that.

Everyone seemed to relax some more, even Vicky. He did too; enough to stop trying to avoid looking at Tyler all together. During dinner, he had tried little nibbles of hot buttered buns, salted crackers and some champagne. He would come to regret it only minutes later when his belly began to hurt, the intensity building.

"Everything okay?" Jenna whispered to him, slightly panicking. Before he could reply, Tyler stood up.

"I'll take him to the bathroom, Ms. Sommers." Tyler said, reaching a hand down.

By now, it seemed only moments before he upchucked. He would rather not let it happen on the table. He nodded silently and quickly left, Tyler following a rather quick pace with him to the guest bathroom downstairs in a small hallway behind the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Tyler could only watch as Jeremy instantly fell on his knees and began to vomit into the toilet, heavy, pained gasps coming from his boyfriend between pauses. He closed the door and knelt beside the brunette, rubbing a soothing hand down the young boy's back gently. It was four times later, when the torture finally ended and Jeremy let his body slide down onto the floor.<p>

There was a knock at the door, followed by Jenna's voice. "Jeremy?"

"I'm fine." Jeremy called back, voice cracking from the moment's exhaustion.

"He's okay, Jenna. One moment, please." Tyler called, bringing his boyfriend's body to him and grabbing some toilet paper to wipe at any remains on the boy's mouth. Jeremy jerked his head away and grabbed the paper from him, wiping it on his own. Though he noticed his boyfriend wasn't moving away from him, probably more from sudden fatigue than anything.

Another knock; this time from his mom. "Tyler, open the door please."

Jeremy than squirmed from his grasp, trying to stand. "I got it now. Thanks. I need a minute."

"But…"

"Don't argue with me right now!" the brunette snapped lowly then looked like he regretted it. He reached out for him, ignoring the calls from the door. Jeremy held up a hand at contact, not looking at him. "N-Not now, please. I just a need a minute."

He hesitated for a moment before he silently unlocked the door and stepped out, Jenna and his mother waiting. Jenna quickly stepped by him and went inside to check on Jeremy. His mom took a look inside before turning on him.

"Why did you lock the door?"

"There's something called privacy, mom. I'm sure that he wouldn't have felt any better knowing he had an audience."

His mom stared at him for a long time. "What's with the face?"

He felt his poker face come into place. "Nothing. I'm just worried for him. He's helped me before so I just wanted to return the favor."

Jenna came out, alone, closing the door behind her and looking grim.

"How is he?" his mother asked her.

"Fine, thanks. He says he just needs to wash up a little bit."

"I'll bring him some water." He mumbled and went to the kitchen to fetch a cold bottle from inside the fridge.

Jenna and his mother returned back to the table. When he returned, Jeremy had opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

"Do you have any mouth wash?"

He nodded and gave him the bottle. "Keep hydrated or you'll just get worse. But if you want, the mouth wash is in my room."

"Thanks."

He passed by the dining room entrance and walked over to his mother in her seat. He leaned over and whispered, "Jeremy wants some wash mouth. I offered some upstairs."

His mother nodded, glancing over at Jeremy who was whispering to Jenna in her own seat. His mother whispered back, "Okay. Thanks for letting me know."

He kissed her forehead and ignored his father, whose gaze he could feel on his back as he took Jeremy up the stairs.

"Do they suspect anything?" the brunette suddenly asked once inside the room.

"I don't know about my father. If my mom does, she's not letting me know. She seemed fine with letting me bring you up here."

The younger boy nodded, looking around the room in an almost distracted fashion as they headed into the bathroom.

* * *

><p>When everyone dispersed into little mingle groups after dinner, Matt made his way onto the sofa with Vicky and Katherine who both hadn't said a word to anyone but him or Jenna. Jenna was busy laughing about something with Mrs. Lockwood, Mr. Lockwood out of sight and out of mind.<p>

It wasn't long before Mason came over and sat down at the arm rest with yet another glass of champagne.

"How are you guys liking the party?" the too casual acting man asked.

Vicky, obviously sensing tension, shrugged awkwardly with a small smile. "It's okay, I guess. It's been so long since I've been to one of these before."

"Way quiet and smaller than the ones I've been to before but also much more relaxing, knowing there's not some supposed friend whose actually a skanky bitch taking trash behind your back in the other side of the room."

"I bet those maids are. Especially of me."

Katherine took a long swing of her own glass. "Think of them as the bottom beans of the seven layered dip."

Matt couldn't hold back a smile at that and stood up. "I'm going to go check on Jeremy. I'll be back."

"I'll come with you." Mason said. He didn't reply.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry."<p>

Jeremy nodded. "I know you are."

"So what can I do then? We always seem to be fighting about something."

"What's done is done, we can't avoid each other. I'm worried about Katherine and Jenna, right now. But then I'm sure you found out about the vampires through your uncle."

"I did. He told me. My parents know too."

His mouth dropped open. "What?"

"Mason told me my parents are part of a secret council meeting along with others from town, including the police. Mason told him my father called him to say the police had found two bite wounds on Nancy's neck; ones that looked very suspiciously like a vampire's, there was also the typical internal bleeding."

"Internal bleeding? Since when do vampires case internal bleeding?"

"According to Mason pretty often. At least when they target the neck. Their fangs are simply too long."

He took a few seconds to process that. "This has happened before?"

"At least a few times I guess, but not for a while. Katherine came to us this week to form a union about the information. Apparently Stefan is in on this. She also told us some history on the town not even Mason knew about. But I'd rather let her tell you. Not that it's anything more frightening than what you know already. I just don't want to lose your trust, Jer."

He sighed heavily and lay down on the soft bed, closing his eyes. "Just promise me you won't keep anymore things like from me. I'm not going to do anything stupid."

"Yeah, I promise."

A knock at the door.

"Jeremy." It was Matt.

"Come in." Tyler called.

He watched the blond come in, followed by Mason. Matt came over and laid down next to him.

"Better?" Matt asked him.

"Yeah. Thanks. I finished a bottle of water Tyler brought me."

He glanced over at Mason who was watching silently.

"I heard what you guys were saying. And maybe you could explain the situation to Matt, please. Just seems he's willing to listen to you more right now." the curly haired werewolf said.

He raised an eyebrow, sensing some desperation in the man's voice. Like Tyler, Mason didn't like a tension in their relationship. Finally, he nodded. He proceeded to tell his friend what Tyler said, Matt listening attentively and reacting the same way he did, especially at the news about what Tyler's parents.

"I have to give another history lesson." Mason told him.

"What is it?" Matt asked, finally looking at the guy for probably the first time since the arrival greeting.

"Our family has the werewolf gene in our system. In this case my brother passed down his gene to Tyler who's lucky to spare his future child, if you guys talk about adopting one day. In other words, my brother and sister in law either know about our kind but they just don't know we have it activated or they know absolutely nothing."

"And if they do?" he asked.

Mason paused in thought about this. "At first, probably furious. Maybe he'll kick me out of town. Maybe Tyler as well. Carol will be more sympathetic, I think. But what matters would be not letting the news get out of the house. If anyone in the council hears about it, they'll want us dead. As far as we know, the Lockwoods are the only family who has the werewolf gene in this town. Outside of it, some choose to join bands, some choose to travel alone. But the secret is always kept to themselves."

"I heard my parents taking about the next meeting being on Monday. My father wants to add verveine into the town's water supply by the end of next week. Mason told him about the idea about also placing it into the alcohol supply too."

"What's verveine?" Matt asked. "And isn't putting something in the water secretly…illegal?"

"It's a type of plant herb, Matt. It doesn't have side effects on a human. You guys won't be able to taste it either. We can taste it but we won't be affected. For vampires, it burns them like acid. They won't be able to smell it before they taste it."

Matt snorted as he rubbed his temple. "You guys are sure making senior year something else. Okay, so let's say you manage to get one. What is the police going to say to the people?"

"If they do, the police and my brother will make up something. The people aren't going to automatically scream vampire down the streets if they get a show. Oh by the way, Caroline Forbes is dead."

Matt groaned. He shot an annoyed glare at Tyler who raised his hands. "I was going to tell you. We got interrupted."

He felt a pang of regret for not being as friendly as he could have been. But Caroline had been insisting in learning about his relationship, how could anyone not be trusting?

"I spent lunch with her on Monday and Tuesday."

All eyes were on him, stunned in silence.

He continued, mainly focusing on Tyler. "She came up to me. She knew about our relationship and she wanted to know more. She promised me everything we would say between would stay secret but…"

"She told you she knew? What did you say to her?" Tyler demanded.

"On Monday she asked me if you were going to take me to the winter dance thing and I told her no. She assumed Matt is taking me then and you'd probably felt jealous but she doubted it because you never chased after anyone in your life. On Tuesday, she asked me what I would be doing for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I told her I didn't know but I'd probably be leaving town for Christmas to see my mom."

Tyler sighed. "Well I didn't hear anything about that so she must have kept her promise."

"Maybe she was compelled to do it." Mason added. "Vampires have the ability to make humans do whatever they want without hesitation if they know how to use it right. Important question now being: why? Out of everything he could use it for, why does he want to know what's going on between you two?"

"Probably not because he's bored." He mumbled, gaze lowering onto the floor as his heart beat quickened in fear. This vampires seemed to be interested in their relationship. Surely someone with that kind of power knew or found out that his boyfriend was a werewolf. He glanced over in surprise when Tyler sat next to him and pulled him into an embrace, placing a kiss on top of his head. Yet, he couldn't seem to relax enough.

* * *

><p>The media missed nothing. Caroline's murder on every news channel no more than an hour later. Thanksgiving dinner ended quickly after that when Tyler's father announced the news, his wife looking less than impressed for sharing it during the gathering. Tyler wanted to follow his mate home but he'd look suspicious. So he told Jeremy to call him when he got home. Outside, Jeremy surprised him with a hand squeeze when no one was looking.<p>

But playing the part, Jeremy punched him half heartily on the shoulder. He barely felt it but forced a smile for both of them. He was aware of his uncle come stand next to him after his own goodbye to Matt who bumped fists and thanked them for the dinner. Vicky hugged him easily. Jenna had have him and more easy going hug but could still feel a slight tension between them but he told himself it was because she was a little shaken over the news of a second murder. Katherine just shook his hand, thanking him and giving him half a smile.

It was almost ten when Jeremy called him. He quickly answered but making sure his parents weren't around to listen.

"Hey. Everything okay?"

"Can't sleep." the brunette mumbled.

"Me either. So much good stuff tonight."

His boyfriend let out a weak laugh. Then there was silence, just listening to each other breathing for a while.

"Are we still on for tomorrow?" the younger boy suddenly asked.

The question surprised him. Honestly, he had forgotten about it. "I don't know…did you want to cancel it for another time? They do it almost every weekend."

Pause. "I guess I should have asked Jenna sooner." Another pause. "But with everything that's going on, let's just wait 'til next week. I don't mind."

"Sure."

Another moment of silence. He fell back in his bed, closing his eyes and letting out a long sigh through his nose.

"Did you know her well?"

His eyes opened at this, frowning slightly. It took him a second to realize what his boyfriend was talking about. "Why?"

"Just wondering."

He rolled his eyes. "In other words, did we have sex?"

Silence.

"No." he hesitated. "We did foreplay twice, drunk of course—okay I seriously don't know why you want to know this."

Silence.

"Jeremy?"

"I'm here."

"Hey don't start getting angry on me again. You were the one who asked. Plus, it was before you even arrived so…"

"I know."

"Well she's dead now."

"Wow."

"Sorry."

More silence.

"I'm scared of this compulsion thing they can use. What if they make us do something to each other or someone else…"

"Stop it." He interrupted firmly. "Get those ideas out of your head. They would have done something by now. Call it curiosity about why they made her try to seek out information. I'm sure it's not like they haven't seen a werewolf before."

"But your dad is someone of power."

He sighed heavily. "It's getting late, Jer. Let's just get some sleep. I can't think about this right now. You shouldn't either. I'll mess you up. Goodnight. I…"

He stopped himself, realizing what he was going to say. There was silence on the other end like if Jeremy had caught on.

"Goodnight." He said and hung up quickly, swearing under his breath and throwing his phone across the bed. It ended up being a little too rough, falling onto the floor with a loud noise. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid of saying those three words to Jeremy, even after everything so far and what they had to do for their first time. Jeremy and he were going to be together for the rest of their life. In all honesty, he had not thought of the possibility of cheating. He might as hell wouldn't have even if the after party had still gone on. But on the other hand, did either of them even have a choice in this whole matter?

* * *

><p>Jeremy sighed on the phone.<p>

"Kyle, they're probably just busy. Use the time to give your butt a break."

"Shut up. I'm just worried they're changing their minds about me. Maybe they realized I'm not worth the time."

"Don't say that shit, man. That's not true. If they ever do change their minds, it's a way of telling you _they _are worth your time."

"I guess."

* * *

><p>Saturday<p>

Everything was set for Steven's departure. By tonight, his dad would be reporting him missing and his phone will be found broken with drops of his blood. He had opened the door, gazing at his sleeping dad in his office chair.

"Goodbye." _I'm sorry._ And he closed the door.

* * *

><p>Matt woke up at eight thirty by the sound of the doorbell. It had been Mason with breakfast.<p>

Now they ate it in silence, staring at each other. He stared back at the older man calmly while the other looked frustrated.

"How many times do I need to apologize?"

"I didn't say you needed to do it again. Though it's quite something it from a Lockwood. I rarely hear it from Tyler."

Mason frowned at him. He shrugged, smiling slightly. This made the gray eyes softened as a hand reached out and covered over his own. He sighed heavily, feeling his walls melting at the sight. He laced his fingers through Mason's.

"Just promise me you won't keep secrets from me. You'll tell me everything, no matter how bad it is."

Mason nodded and his face turned determined. "Which is why I also wanted to tell you that Katherine is a witch."

He blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I hope she doesn't get pissed but I'm sure she'll trust you with this information. I mean you are confused about why we're going to her house on a Saturday morning at that hour, right?"

He stared at the werewolf for a moment then sighed heavily, rubbing his temple. "Well, thank you for keeping your promise." Pause. "So why are we going to her house on a Saturday morning at that hour?"

"Stefan Salvatore remembers how Klaus looks like, that's the vampire we are tracking. Katherine wants for Tyler to sketch a picture according to her boyfriend's descriptions so she can try to track him down. Better than nothing."

Mason stood up and walked over to him, pulling him up by the arm and leading him onto the living room couch.

"Whoa! Now?" he protested.

"I'll hope that one day I'll be able to end up fucking you on ever surface of this house."

He lets his head fall back in disbelief, staring up at the ceiling. He felt his cock harden and he ground up against the werewolf. Blue eyes met gray again. "How about you start here, playboy?"

Mason grinned and leaned down, lips latching together desperately as clothes were quickly stripped, hands roaming on bare skin, coaxing each other's into full hardness as Mason lubed his cock, slammed his hands down on either side of his hips, and positioned into him.

Mason's hands slid over his butt, squeezing each mound.

"Your cock feels so good in my ass."

"You bet it does," Mason said slowly and with determination, "your ass is made for my cock, it is ready to receive, and my cock is home in your ass." Mason started a slow pace, giving him time to adjust since they had skipped foreplay, he assumed.

"Why does that feel so good?" he managed after a very long moan when Mason nearly pulled out.

"I'm a werewolf." the older male answered after he rammed his cock full into him, making him yelp. "That is what we werewolves do, we top and we are the best at it."

"Really?" he asked as his upper body lowered himself a bit.

"That is what we do, everyone wants to get fucked by us and we always top them. It is in our very nature to be tops and once someone takes us in, they will never want anybody else. And I show you why."

Mason placed one hand on each side of his side, lowered his body so much that his mouth was close to his ear. Matt arched his back so his but was higher. Mason pounded into him again, faster this time. Making him moan and sweat.

"Will you submit to me Matt? Will you be mine?"

"Yes Mason, oh my god, yes! Fuck me Mason, make me yours." His brain was in a fog of lust. Mason thrust harder, shoving his dick deep inside him. Mason's mouth biting down on him firmly with blunt, human teeth. He cried out and felt his cock burst and emptying itself all over the floor. Mason continued to pound into him, never releasing his shoulder. The brunette groaned with a deep timbre, the sound muffled by his skin, when his movements became erratic. He gave his behind a few more hard pounds, until he released himself, filling his ass.

* * *

><p>Jeremy watched from the side as Stefan and Tyler sat side by side on the couch in Jenna's house. It felt weird being without her here but it was also a blessing for her heart attack escape. Matt and Katherine stood on either side; Mason by Matt's other side.<p>

"I can't believe witches exist too. What's next? Fairies?"

"This isn't True Blood." Mason mused.

Katherine waved at them to quiet down and looked at him. "You sure you don't want to try?"

He shook his head. "I'm good."

The process was done no more than an hour later for the finishing touched on Tyler's sketch. But it was finished and Stefan confirmed its close accuracy. Katherine scanned it and made copies in her room for everyone.

"So do you think you can track him down with this?" he asked.

"I hope so." Katherine glanced at the clock. "Stefan tried calling the number this so called Klaus guy left and the voice said the number was no longer in service. But we still have plenty of time." She smirked. "How about Jeremy and Matt help prepare dinner?"

He grimaced slightly. Matt squeezed his shoulder. "I have an idea."

Cutting pieces of chicken, they fried it along with broccoli, sliced carrots, peas, and teriyaki sauce with a side of white steamed white rice on the side and Hawaiian butter rolls.

"I remember this dish. Amazing as ever." Tyler mumbled through mouthfuls of food.

Mason nodded and made of motion of kissing his fingers and opening them into the air in a silent compliment.

"Thank you, boys. It's delicious." Katherine said, impressed. Stefan hummed his agreement, smiling.

"It was Matt's idea." He said, smirking up the blonde who shrugged modestly.

"I didn't want to end up eating fast food everyday with Vicky so I always have to look up some stuff on the internet. I'm glad you guys are enjoying it."

All of it was gone within the hour. But Matt managed to save some in a plastic container for Jenna when she came home. Katherine wiped her mouth and sighed, "Okay gentlemen, I've been doing some research and there is a man by the named of Klaus Mikaelson that once lived in this town once some good time ago but I couldn't find more before the 1900s. According to my spell book, he was one of the little scumbags who took over the original settler's lands owned which were the warlocks. This was just a little after the civil war began in 1861. So this Klaus has to be more than one hundred and fifty years old. But he looks…" she paused, and glanced at Stefan. "no older than early to mid-thirties."

"Hang on." Mason suddenly said, pulling out his cellphone.

* * *

><p>Jules picked up on the second try, breathless and angry. "Mason, you motherfucking cock-block!"<p>

He placed the call on speaker. "Miss you guys too too. Moving on, I wanted to ask if a Klaus Mikaelson rang a bell to you."

A long silence. He glanced at everyone who was watching between him and the phone. Jules told someone his name, probably her mate before she replied, "What about him?"

"Well I think he's in town."

"I would leave it immediately then."

He ignored the comment. "Just tell us what you know."

"Since you asked so nicely. I've never seen him personally before. I just heard stories. This guy is supposed to be at least seven thousand years old."

"Okay, and how do we kill him?"

"I supposed all you need to do is rip him to pieces. That should work with anything. Even if he is somehow still 'alive' after that if his head is no longer connected to his body at least he can't move around."

"Sounds easy enough."

"If you somehow manage to hold him down. I'm guessing he's a good at hide and seek too."

"He's winning so far. Jules, what if I told you we needed your help?"

She sighed. "Mason, we would but we're powerless outside the full moon and you know we can't risk being out in the open in transformation—god can't you wait?—I'm sorry."

* * *

><p>Matt and Mason left a while later, Stefan following after. Katherine went to walk him out to his car like it wasn't obvious she stilled loved him. Tyler stayed with his boyfriend, an arm wrapped around the junior who laid his head on his shoulder, staring at the TV blankly. His other hand was changing the channels. Jenna wouldn't be home for another good couple of hours. <em>Darn. <em>Minutes passed and Katherine didn't return. He glanced behind him, listening for any sounds.

"What?" Jeremy asked, slightly concerned.

He smirked. "How long do you think she'll stay out there with Stefan?"

The brunette raised an eyebrow, knowing where this was going. "If we're lucky…long enough."

He chuckled and leaned down and kissed his mate deeply, still tasting of strawberry pudding they had for dessert.

* * *

><p>Stefan stared at Katherine with an awkward smile when they reached the car. They stood in silence for a moment, trying to think of what to say besides goodbye.<p>

He sighed, "I still…"

His cellphone rang. Katherine pursed her lips at the irritating disturbance. He pulled it out from his pocket and his eyes widened when he saw who it was.

"Damon." He said.

Katherine blinked. "I'll see you later. Drive safe."

He reached out of her, taking her hand and shaking his head. "Hold on. This should be quick." He then answered his cell, not taking his hand off. "Hey. What a surprise."

"Hey, _Stefi poo_! How was Thanksgiving? Mom and dad pay their apologies for not coming for Thanksgiving this year. Again. But I got some good news!"

"At least they called. I call that an achievement." he commented sarcastically.

"I called to give some good news."

"What?"

"They're coming to spend Christmas with you. Wanna guess the better news?"

"No."

"I'm coming to spend it with you too."

_Oh fuck. _"Mm. "

"That's all you have to say? After helping you get finally get a sex life?"

"Damon." He growled in warning.

"Should have helped you get a sense of humor too. Anyway, just giving you the heads up. I like anything expensive. Bye." Damon sang teasingly and hung up.

He pressed the end button and shoved the device back into his pocket.

"Looks like it was quite the conversation."

He looked down at their locked hands. "He's coming along for Christmas with my parents."

"And that's not good thing?"

"It is. I love them… but you'll see. You're going to be running out of there before dinner is even served."

She smiled. "I'm sure I'll handle it. So you were saying earlier?"

* * *

><p>Sweat pooled on Jeremy's belly as his boyfriend sucked his cock while he sat on the couch, Tyler kneeling down between his legs and bobbing his head as a gentle hand fondled his balls.<p>

"Fuck, Tyler." He panted, gripping raven hair tightly. It was a risk in being caught and it felt fantastic.

There was a long swipe at his slit that got him shooting his spunk into his boyfriend's mouth, colored spots dancing behind his eyes lids as he rode out the wave of his orgasm with a long groan.

It was a while before Katherine came back into the house.

"Everything okay?" he called.

"Yup. I'll be upstairs." Pause. "_Try_ to keep it down."

He buried his face in Tyler's shoulder to stifle a laugh. He didn't move until he heard the door close upstairs.

"What do you think would have happened if she saw?" Tyler asked.

"She can't kick you out. She doesn't have the right to judge after I had to go through an unfortunate sleep-with-your-ear-phones-on night several times."

"Ouch."

"Not the word I would use but…"

There was a moment of silence as they watched wrestling on TV.

"So…last night." He began. Tyler stiffened next to him but said nothing.

"And here is a courtesy reminder that you just blew me not even half an hour ago. And it wouldn't be the first time. Not to mention you're willing to lie to your parents about taking me to some exotic place outside the United States for Christmas."

"Mmhm." Tyler simply hummed in agreement. He straightened, raising an eyebrow in expectation.

Tyler wouldn't look at him. That earned him a firm slap on the back of the head.

"Fine! Yes, I was going to say the words!"

"You're afraid to admit it out loud or something?"

Tyler finally turned to look at him, defensively. "Are you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well you haven't said it either."

He sighed. "Okay…so maybe it is a little frightening to admit it."

"But you do feel something for me." There was awe in there.

He felt his face heat up. "Whoa, I didn't…"

"But you insinuated." There a smirk now. A wide one. _Asshole. _

He could only stare back at him, mouth gaping open. His heart was pounding. He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at the table in front of them. "I don't know."

"You do."

"Shut up. You do too."

A _long_ moment of silence.

"Can we talk about this later?"

He nodded, face slightly less red. "Yeah."

He didn't blame him. He did feel something for Tyler and he was sure it was vice versa too. But they were only teens who fate decided to get them stuck with each other. But then slowly he came to realize the school's womanizer who had been voted probable to die of an STD before the age of thirty was actually…changing into someone else.

* * *

><p>The murders were all anything everyone at school could talk about all week. Then there was the disappearance of another student from school. Steven Dorlan, the school's biggest douche bag. Some people were happy about that piece of news. One of those wasn't Tyler or Matt who should be. Mostly because that only meant the vampires were still out there with a secret agenda. Something that made people who knew about them on edge, wondering who was going to go next. Yet with Steven gone, the people and media immediately had suspected him for the murders. Especially Caroline's, who had only been dead two days before he disappeared. Then the guy's crushed and bloody cellphone was found in the woods. The blood, confirming it was indeed Steven's. The suspect situation on him had eased, but not completely. A curfew was now in place. No under the age of twenty one was allowed to be out after seven. There were no warnings. All students will receive a two weeks' worth of in school suspension if caught, the punishment increasing with every offense.<p>

* * *

><p>The following Friday afternoon, Katherine came downstairs to Jeremy who was moping away at the floor. The smell of lavender filling her nose. She raised an eyebrow at him, questionably.<p>

"Jenna's sticky note order. With love."

She smirked.

"There's one for you. You get to sweep upstairs, mop your room, and clean your bathroom."

She lost her amusement and mumbled dryly, "I'll eat first."

When Jeremy finished the floor, he walked across the kitchen, carrying a bucket filled with dirty water. He dumped it out in the backyard and placed the empty bucket next to her, along with the bottle of Pine-Sol.

"Mop is against the staircase wall." He informed.

"Mmhm."

She finished her breakfast and washed the dishes, grabbing the sticky note she pound stuck to the dining table. She grabbed the bucket and filled it with water from the sink, pouring a calculating amount of Pine-Sol into it after. She carried it into the living room and placed it down next to the mop.

"No Klaus?" Jeremy asked suddenly from the living room as he held an open textbook in his hands.

"No. It's only giving me visions of what's going on around town through other bodies of water. Mostly from puddles on the edges of the side walk." She couldn't keep disappointment and anger from her tone. She had been so ready to know where this vampire was hiding. "I was thinking about what I could do if we ever find this bastard. Seems like I'd be able to do a good portion of the work. I still have my mind a pain spell. I could use all of the intensity to bring him down as long as I need for someone to finish setting up a new one I found that traps him into a certain area for as long as I want to until we can find out a way to end up. Seems it'll have to end up using vervaine somehow."

The younger teen turned around on the couch. "You know about that?"

"Duh. It's my job to know their weakness. And you can tell Tyler and Matt this."

"You're not?"

"I'm not their servant. Plus you have a better bond with them. If they have any questions, I'll talk to them then."

There was a long moment of silence.

"I thought about your earlier whining too."

"My…whining?"

"You still want one of my spells, don't you?"

Jeremy suddenly slammed the book closed and stood up. "Yeah!"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm willing to give one to you…mostly because we need all the help we can get."

Jeremy huffed a laugh, excited. "Sure! Bring it on!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Remember that this not as a game, kid. We do really need to find Klaus as soon as possible."

He nodded, his eyes gleaming. "I know. So are you going to give it to me today?"

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

><p>Jeremy could barely sit still in the desk chair of his cousin's room, book splayed out on her bed. Katherine made him sit down in her desk chair, his back to her.<p>

"You're going to keep your eyes closed until I say you can open them. Don't say anything or move, got it?" she warned.

He gave her a teasing two finger salute.

"I'm going to start."

He nodded and sat up straighter, closing his eyes.

Katherine began to chant softly in what he guessed was Latin. He tensed a bit, anticipating maybe some sort of pressure or pain. His cousin stopped chanting a few minutes later, hearing his own deep breathing of nervous yet excited anticipation.

"_Hello? Hello? Testing one, two three. Jeremy, can you hear me?"_

His eye snapped open. He was almost one hundred percent sure she had not said them aloud, it didn't sound exactly like Katherine's voice. Yet he had heard them. He stood up and whirled around, staring at his cousin silently. Katherine raised an eyebrow in expectation, cocking her head.

"_Say something in your head. If I did this right, we should be able to communicate without it being out loud even if we're not in the same room. Though I don't know how far we can be from each other but hoping enough."_

His mouth opened and closed like a fish for a few moments. **"I can hear you." **

Katherine smirked in triumph, flipping her hair slightly over her shoulder. _"I'm awesome." _

"**Well can this please not be our only way of communicating even when Jenna's not here?"**

"Sure." Katherine then said aloud.

"Wow. It's so cool. Weird, but cool."

"We should be able to read anyone's mind. Including any supernatural beings. Though I don't know how difficult it is when the other person is not in the room. You're being warned that it might not be easy to shut this thing off. Let me know if it's taking your concentration away from your classes."

He nodded and hesitated briefly before he walked over and gave the girl a hug. She tensed noticeably, mostly out of surprise and awkwardness. But she still patted his back a few times.

"Sure."

He pulled back. "So…can I tell Tyler and Matt about this?"

She shrugged, patting her hair. "Up to you. But if you do, just tell them they will not be expecting me to give them the same treatment."

He grinned. "Good."

His mother called the house a while later.

"Hey, honey! How's school?"

"Hi, mom. Same old. Art is still my favorite. The teacher keeps asking if he could put them around the school."

"I always knew you had a gift for it."

"It's too bad there's no real jobs out there for it."

"No kidding…but I'm sure you'll end up doing something just as good one day."

"I hope so. Thanks, mom."

Pause. "How's Anna doing? Everything okay?"

He frowned slightly. His mom almost sounded…worried. "Yeah. Everything's fine. I'll send you a picture if you want through email."

"I'd love one. Especially since you told me you're leaving some stubble on your face. I bet you look so handsome."

He smiled and teased, "So I've been told."

She laughed. "That's the sound I love to hear!"

"Mom…why did you ask if everything is okay? Did you not expect it to or something?"

"Oh no, no. I was just wondering, I mean you two are so young and I was worried about fights and all that. I just want you to be okay."

He pursed his lips, remembering Jenna's words about how his mother probably knew about his desire toward the male species…in this case werewolf species. How she'd get a kick out of that. "I am okay, mom. I don't want you to worry about me."

"Well that's the first thing they teach you in mom school. You have to worry." She teased, laughing a little but sounding a little forced.

He didn't know what to say. She continued, "By the way have you talked to Kyle?"

His heart sped up a few numbers. His best friend hadn't been answering either his texts or phone calls. He called the house on Wednesday; his mother picked up. Her son had caught a bug and was sick in bed so he couldn't talk. Something that sounded like bullshit but he hadn't pressed when she then began to have some small talk about his mother told her he had gone off to spend some time with his aunt. "Um…not for a couple of days. His mother told me he was sick."

"Well he seems to have gotten better. I saw him standing at an intersection corner. For the lack of a better word, he looked like a…zombie. He was staring off into the distance with no expression. He looked like he had been crying too. Would you know anything?"

His heart was now thudding hard in his chest, his gut churning in guilt and dread. Something must have happened between Kyle and Brent. D_id the asshole hurt him? Was he blackmailing him? _Or the asshole must have dumped him with or without some lame ass needed to talk to Kyle. His Iphone began to ring on his bed. Tyler. He turned the phone upside down, silently apologizing to the him.

"Hello?" his mother asked.

"Y-yeah. Yeah I'm here. Sorry. Um, no I don't know anything. We've been in a kind of tense moment right now from the distance so."

"I see. Well call him. See if there's anything wrong. I'll call his house too. I hope nothing happened in the family."

"I hope so too."

"Alright, I'll let you go. I expect that picture, mister."

"Okay. Bye, mom. Love you."

* * *

><p>Kyle hadn't been out of his room much. His parents were getting worried. Even his sister, Gabriela who even wrote him a small letter, wishing him well and such. He didn't know if his parents had made her do it or not, but he had been touched by the gesture.<p>

It all felt like a bad dream. Nothing exactly could make him feel better enough; even with the startup of Christmas songs on the radio and his appetite still had to come back. And he was feeling guilty about ignoring Jeremy. He felt like he shouldn't bother with his problems but deep inside, he felt…a little jealous at how fortunate the older brunette was. I mean how many boys can say their boyfriend is a mayor's son who's hot and turned gay for them?

He glanced down at his cellphone on the sheets below as it vibrated. He grimaced when he saw it was Jeremy. He closed his eyes and let another fresh around of tears flow, burying his face in the pillow until the noise stopped. Minutes later, there was a noise, indicating a voice mail. He uncovered his face and wiped his eyes. He glanced at the door and then slowly reached out to grab it.

"My mom called me earlier. She told me she saw you on the streets and weren't looking so well." Sigh. "And I have a pretty good idea why. I want you to know that I wish I could be there with you right now. You have no idea how much I know that relationships sucks ass. Don't think I don't know. There's…so much you don't know that I can't tell you. Maybe one day I'll be able to. But for right now, just remember that I'm here whenever you need to talk. I don't care if it ends up being at three in the morning. I love you; you're my best friend and we've been through tough shit together. I don't want to lose that. Please call me." Beep. "End of message. To reply…"

He hung up and reached over to wipe at his face and nose, pressing a few buttons on his phone.

"I-I'm sorry." He broke down for the third time that day. Jeremy joined in soon after.

* * *

><p>Elba Gilbert was trimming the garden with her mother out in the front yard when her father stepped out. "Elba, that god for nothing bastard called! I told him never to call this number again and hung up!"<p>

She glanced at her mother who also held an expression of shock and confusion.

"Why would Roger be calling you?"

"I don't know, mom, but I better call back. He's paying for my son's support even if it's not on time half of the time." She mumbled and got up. "You're going to stay out here?"

"Yeah. You go ahead."

"I'll be back then."

She grabbed the kitchen phone and headed outside, away from her father's too curious eves dropping. She rumbled through the recent callers and re dialed the first number.

"Hello?" He greeted three rings later.

She had to pause, his voice bringing back so many memories. Her eyes quickly filled with tears. "Hi. My dad said you called."

"Yeah. I can see he his appropriate use of the English language hasn't changed."

She snorted. "Yeah. So why did you call again?"

It was his time to pause. "I got your message about Jeremy."

She sniffled. "Do you think she's…?"

"I hope not. Pray it isn't. He's too young. But if this girl is, there is nothing we can do about it."

"Talk about déjà vu, huh?" she hadn't meant to sound so bitter.

"Don't start."

She nodded, feeling nauseous. "Goodbye, Roger."

* * *

><p>That night, Matt called Tyler.<p>

"Sup." Tyler replied thickly.

"Sorry, didn't know you were sleeping."

"It's fine. What happened?"

"Nothing. I was…thinking about Steven."

Silence.

"Before he disappeared, didn't you notice something was strange about him?"

"He became...quiet. He barely seemed to want to speak to anybody. He still gave me the usual looks of murder but he never said anything to me anymore."

"To suddenly go from one of the most hated to a…loner?"

"What are you trying to say? The guy killed Nancy and Caroline?"

The pause was a little too long for his own liking. "I don't know. It's just what I've observed. It started before Nancy so I thought he was having some personal problems at home but then Caroline happened. Then Steven to turn up missing a few days later…"

"They found his cellphone with his blood on it, Matt."

"Everything is possible. You should know that by now."

* * *

><p>Note: Ta daaa! Lol Shout out to any Sterek fans out there! I have a feeling Hoechlin would be more comfortable with it. I mean people on Tumblr have pointed out about how he maybe has a crush on Dylan…yeah with the way he looks at the guy, I totally believe it. So cute ^^ You know if Dylan had been a girl, I'm sure they would be going out by now in real life. Mmmhmmm. Oh society :


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